mamaTAVE

While chopping fennel for tonight's soup, I remembered that I wanted to say...

2012-02-14T15:53:00.000-08:00

...Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas Gift Idea--Fairy Babies

2011-11-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

This is another one from last year. Anastasia made (with a bit of help from me) these Christmas Fairy Babies for her aunts and uncles last year.

You probably can't see that we included a gold string, so they could be used as ornaments if that was the wish of the recipient. J split walnut shells in half along the seam (please do not use a butter knife for this task... it just may slip, slice your finger rather painfully, and require the use of many bandaids as well as assuring your concerned child that you will eventually be okay). We sanded the edges of those that needed a little smoothing. We placed the gold string in the shell with a dab of tacky glue, then added some fluffed up (that's a technical term) wool yarn to be the baby's bed. As that is drying, you can make your baby.

Take a bit of pipe cleaner and wrap it all but a tiny bit with colored (or not) wool roving. This is one of the tasks that your young child can feel successful with completing. Glue a wooden bead on the unwrapped bit--this will be the baby's head. Glue a small acorn to the head to be the baby's hat (See! It's a good thing I told you about this now. You still have plenty of time to go out and collect acorn caps!). I clipped apart silk flowers to use as the baby's wings and we glued them on to the baby's back.

After everything is dry, snuggle the baby in her shell bed. We did not glue the babies in, in case the recipient wanted to take it out and hold it--they are so cute, it's hard not to hold them!

Enjoy this one. Another present done!

Christmas Gift Idea--Candle Wrap

2011-11-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to look a lot like...Christmas! I know Halloween just happened, but this is what the stores would like you to believe, right? Well, they have a point. It wouldn't hurt to start thinking about it and get a few things tucked away, so you are not nutso in a month. I'll give you a couple of ideas to get you started. Here is a candle that Anastasia wrapped as her gift for her grandparents last year. She also made smaller versions for her teachers.

You can get the glass candles for very little money at a number of different stores (hint: shop the day after Christmas and stock up for gifts for next year!). Have your little one choose a piece of scrapbook paper. Measure and cut it to fit the candle. Ask your little one to color (making sure to include her name somewhere, if she is able) the white side of the paper. Use tacky glue to glue the ends of the paper to the candle. These candles were a little too large for the paper to wrap all the way around, which is why there is a strip of ribbon covering that blank spot. Let it dry.

You have a gift finished and ready to give. Good for you!

Pillowcase Dress and Matching Capris

2011-07-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

I made another pillowcase dress for Ana to wear to our school's May Day Festival (yes, I am really late in writing this post). It had been rather chilly, and the pillowcase was white, so I wanted to make something to wear underneath the dress. She had some jeans that still fit really well in the waist, but were making her sport that highwaters look that we weren't really going for... So, I cut a few inches off the bottom of the legs and added a ruffle, using the same fabric I used to make the bias tape for the pillowcase dress. This will save me the trouble of buying any capris for her this summer, as there are many more jeans that have holes in the knees and will receive this same treatment (stay tuned!). Here is the sweet little outfit she wore to the May Day Festival:

Felted Playmat and Duck

2011-07-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

My friend's son just turned two. Ana helped me to make his gift. We wet-felted in a large ziplock bag, like we did for her teacher's gift. But, this time, Ana created a farm scene. Her farm ended up having a pond, so we felt that a duck should be available to swim in it. I needle-felted a simple one, using white and orange roving. I also needle-felted some flowers (vegetables?) to be grown on the farm.

This is the gift we created:

**Fair warning: Dogs like wool. Well, they specifically like to destroy anything lovely you've made with it. So, be sure to keep any wool toys put away and out of your dog's reach! I had two students lose wool gifts to their dogs mouths this year. It's sad, so beware!

Another Teacher Gift: Reversible Pouch Tutorial

2011-06-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure what to make for Ana's teacher assistant as an end-of-the-year gift. I asked Ana exactly what the assistant's job was, and she said, "It is her job to watch the kids and make sure they're not hiding anywhere. If they are, she has to find them... We should give her a magnifying glass!" So, that is what we did.

But, I wanted to put it inside something lovely that also might be memorable. Since the kindergarten class was called the "Cherry Blossoms", I was thrilled to find a cherry print fabric to use to make a drawstring bag. Ana fingerknitted a chain of yarn to be used as the drawstring.

Cute! But, the fabric was rather thin, and I didn't want to just toss a magnifying glass in there and hope that it survived the journey to school. So, I decided to make a reversible bag out of fleece to hold and protect it.

I started by cutting two long rectangles, and stitching the sides together (wrong side out), making two shorter rectangles.

Next, I stitched the two rectangles together by placing one inside the other, right sides facing each other, and stitching around the open edges, leaving about an inch unstitched.

That unstitched part is where I then pulled the fabric right-sides-out, like shown below, and then hand stitched that last inch closed.

To make it look like the pouch it is, I stuffed the lighter colored fabric into the Bears fabric (she is from Chicago, and we are Bears fans, so... it just had to be done).

Or, you can reverse it by turning it inside out.

Two fabric options, depending on your mood (or the success of your favorite team)!

And, in the end, a useful and memorable gift.

Tea Cozy Giveaway

2011-06-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, today is the last day to enter to win an absolutely adorable tea cozy from Garden of Daisies. Isn't the mushroom one adorable?! Go enter now!

Just yesterday, a friend and I were talking about hosting tea parties at our homes on a rotating basis. I will be visiting the Garden of Daisies site again and again for more tea ideas, I am sure.

Teacher Gift--Story Apron Tutorial

2011-06-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

School ended last week. I am still decompressing a bit, with a few reports left to write, but I did manage to pull off some pretty sweet gifts for A's teacher and teacher's assistant. We all worked together to make the gift for her teacher, which I think made it extra-special. We began the gift of a home made story apron by wet-felting wool. This was a great outdoor project, as it tends to get water everywhere, particularly when a five-year-old is heavily involved.

We started with a piece of wool batting that would fit into a large ziplock bag (this can certainly be done on a small scale as well, in a smaller bag), and covered it with whisps of colored roving (the thinner, the better, I have found). Then, we carefully put it into the plastic bag, added some hot water (as hot as little hands can stand) and a squirt of dishsoap, and sealed the bag, letting as much air escape as possible. Then, squish the bag as much as you can stand! It takes quite a bit of work to get the wool to felt.

After the wool has felted (open the bag to check and see that the wool is all "stuck" together before you pull it out), take it out of the bag and place it in a tub of cold water. It is important that it is cold, as this will "shock" the wool and further felt the fibers together.

This step also gets the suds out...

After your piece is thoroughly rinsed, you may wish to wring out excess water. I use this bamboo placemat that I found in the "as is" area of Ikea.

There were a few wool stragglers that I felted into the piece with a needle after it was dry.

We used the felted piece for the bib part of the story apron. I bought some lovely green silk to use as the dress of the apron, as I had the idea of the bib being the sky and the skirt being the grass when her teacher was sitting to tell stories. I had leftover blue satin from another project that I used for the neck strap. Stitched them all together, and...

A story apron gift is complete.

Which way does the ceiling fan turn?

2011-06-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

It is hot today. 97 degrees right now. It is a dry heat, so it could be worse. Still, just a week ago it was 30 degrees cooler and raining! We jumped right to hot. I'm not ready to turn on the a/c and I am wishing to turn the ceiling fans on as the little one and I move from room-to-room, trying to get some house work done around here.

Am I the only person who's memory is so bad that not only can I not remember which direction the ceiling fan blades are supposed to be turning, but I also cannot remember if I have already changed them for the season or not? (Tessa, you may not comment in reply to that question.) I'm recording it here for my future reference, and yours, too, if your memory is at all like mine.

Wikipedia says that in the summer, the fan blades should be turning with the higher part of the fan blades leading (usually, this is counter-clockwise). In the winter, the lower part of the fan blades should be leading, which is generally clockwise.

There. You've been schooled in ceiling fan rotation, and so have I. Hope that helps someone else, too!

Golf Cupcakes and Hairdo

2011-06-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

J's boss just retired, which means more golf for boss and more work for my hubbie! The retirement party had a golf theme and J was asked to bring two dozen cupcakes with either green or white frosting.... I couldn't let it be as easy as that. Instantly, ideas came to my mind of how to make the cupcakes fit more with the theme. I did allow myself the liberty of using boxed mixes, which saved a little time on a weeknight. Here is what we delivered:

I thought coconut in the frosting would make it look more "grassy", but it didn't. Extra-tasty though. Flags were made by gluing diamond-shaped paper around toothpicks. Little balls of sugar (found in the cake decorating aisle at JoAnn) for golf balls... voila!

So, when I was dropping A off at my parents' before the party, my dad suggested this:

Yep. Pulled my hair up with bobby pins and stuck long golf tees in.... My dad's idea... I suppose that is where the creativity gene came from.

It's the little things... Giveaway! (CLOSED)

2011-05-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

And, the lucky random.org winner is.... Hayley! Look for an email from me, Hayley, and "thank you" to every one else who entered. I have a few more giveaways in mind, so stay tuned!

Welcome, welcome! This is the third Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day I have participated in. It is always so exciting. Though the end of the school year is really trying to push my stress buttons, squeezing in the crafting for this day of giving was actually a good idea. It was nice to find good reason to knit and felt. Please don't hold your breath, as my work week is about to begin, but I am hoping to add one more "little thing" to my giveaway. I might be able to get it done in time... stranger things have happened, I'm sure.

As it stands now, these little things would make great accents to your nature table, if you have one. If you don't have one, winning this would give you good reason to make space for one! It's always nice to be near nature, and so special when you can bring a little indoors without any harm to Mother (Nature).

For your summer table, a little felted strawberry:

To make this, I simply wrapped wool around a tiny pine cone and needle felted it in place.

For your autumn table, a little knitted acorn:

The pattern for the acorn can be found in this book:

How can you win these lovely little things? Simply leave a lovely little comment. That's all. If you are one of the folks who has been following me for a while (or wishes to start now), please leave a second little comment so I can give you a second entry as a token of my appreciation.

The giveaway will be open until Friday evening, because I will surely not get around to randomly choosing a winner until the work week is over! I will ship internationally ("hello" to my cyber friends across the pond and over the border!) by Monday, the 30th.

A Mother's Day Gift

2011-05-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

My little lovely made me a gift at school in the same fashion I tried this craft last year. It was supposed to be a scarf, but when the "scarves" arrived to her teacher, they were much smaller than anticipated (hankie size). Still, my neck is small enough that I managed to wear the gift as intended and please my little girl (though, she did give me permission to "blow my snot in it and stick it in my pocket").

I also wanted to show you one of the first cherries that has come off the tree we planted last year--yum! Not enough to do more than munching this year, but I'm hoping to have some cherry canning on my "to do" list next summer. Pitting them doesn't sound too fun though...

Back to the topic of scarves for a moment, I gave one away last year during Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. It's coming up again, really soon, and I am wishing to join in the fun again. What to give away? Any suggestions, based on what I've made in the past?... Requests?... Hopefully, this week won't whisk me away and I forget the Friday deadline. Let's see...

Read this book: The Country Bunny

2011-04-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Easter and all that is good in the world, please read this book!

I read this to my kindergarten students last week and they were mesmerized by the beautiful story. I suspect the Easter Bunny will be delivering a copy to our house this year...

It is amazing to me that this story of a strong mama bunny--who proves she can do things just as well as (even better than!) the male Jack rabbits--was written in 1939!

Good stuff. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Wool Eggs... Hatched!

2011-04-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, my! The egg started cracking about a week ago. And, then...

Cheep! Cheep! This chicky was joyfully discovered after he hatched and has been out of his egg and traveling in pockets, so his face is a little smooshed right now, but still so cute. He lives on our nature table.

Wool Eggs

2011-04-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

We are making these in my classroom right now, and I wanted Anastasia to have the opportunity to make one as well. This is a nice, warm activity--good for the senses with its use of natural fibers.

Don't know how to wet-felt? Just ask, and I will do my best to explain here. The supplies and procedure are quite simple.

They are cute just like this, but you can modify them a bit... Check back in a week or so to see what this one has morphed into!

Poison Oak in My Front Yard?

2011-04-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

How did this get into my front yard?!?!!

SO glad I was paying close attention to the weeds I was pulling out of the ground before I just reached and grabbed this. AND that I remembered the little "leaves of three, let them be" mantra...

Happy Monday everyone!

Project: Simplify -- Week Four -- Pantry and Refrigerator

2011-03-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

This one will be a bit easier to handle, as I've already been purging a bit every day for the last few weeks. My offspring and I are on a "Candida Diet" (well, I am more strictly than she is, but she's doing an awesome job!), which means no sugar (of any kind at this beginning point, we'll be able to add back honey and other unrefined sweeteners later) or yeast. Do you know how hard that is? There is sugar in EVERYTHING!!! This is seriously harder than I thought. I'm not having the sugar cravings like I did at first (we didn't eat a lot of sweets before, so the cravings really didn't last long at all), but nearly every food that I didn't make from scratch has sugar listed in the ingredients. Yeast is a little bit easier to predict (think: breads), but it sneaks in the ingredient list more often than I anticipated, as well.

The point of me sharing this, is that I very recently removed a lot of things from our freezers and pantry. We look temptation in the face in my own kitchen? I do the cooking around here, so it's really not a problem to suit the cupboards to fit my needs. I have moved most items that we cannot eat right now, either out of the house entirely (garbage) or onto an inconvenient shelf.

I have found some lovely quick bread recipes and even ventured into making my own sourdough starter! I omitted the cup of brown sugar the aussie bites recipe called for, but did keep in the 1/2 cup of honey. I figured that would be dispersed enough between the 5 dozen bites we made. Plus, it was our turn to make them for the kindergarten homeschool group and I didn't want to force them all onto our diet. I thought they were delicious--just a touch of sweetness, plus oats, sunflower seeds, flax, dried figs (natural sugar), wolfberries (more natural sugar),... YUM!

So, I have until the end of the week to finish my organizing of this project. I will post pictures later, maybe even on time! But, I do have class all weekend, so... maybe not.

Project: Simplify -- Week Three -- Kids Clothes and Toys

2011-03-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

I am really showing off my procrastination skills with this project... REALLY. Not meaning to. We're in the middle of another round of being woken up every. single. night. by a little person who comes crawling into our bed from a bad dream, a full bladder, just waking up, something undertermined,... and likes to snuggle up right next to me and proceed to elbow me in the face or knee me in the back until the alarm goes off and it's time to get up and go to work. So, I'm tired. I'm really tired. And, I'm spending my time on the things I have to get done before the morning comes, rather than these fun little projects!

I am still working on J's closet (slowly and sneakily, though he did willingly hand over a stack of older-than-us t-shirts--score!). And, the boxes of paper are still waiting for me next to the new DVR that I am having way too much fun with...

Week Three was actually last week. Oops, again. The thing about the project is, I go through Anastasia's clothes on a fairly regular basis and always find something to donate or pass along to a cousin or friend. So, I'm not really feeling the need to do that. I have, in the last few months, come up with a system that allows her to pick out her own clothes for school without my having to really get involved and make trades in the middle of the night. We still have her changing table/dresser in her closet and the dresser that is part of her bedroom set is out in the bedroom. The dresser in the room contains clothes that she can wear to school, i.e. no logos, sparkly distracting things, etc. This requires a bit of help on my part when it is time to fold clothes and put things away, but it definitely helps in that she can pull anything out and have an outfit that will meet the dress code. Weekend clothes go in the closet dresser, i.e. logos (particularly those of a certain Kitty that all the little girls seem to love), sports teams (Go Bears!), sparkly flashy stuff, clothes with writing on it, etc. If you ever have to battle your child when it comes time to get dressed for school, I would highly recommend trying this system--I love it!

Now, the toys part of this project... Well, that is a different animal. I can't exactly go in and just do that myself... Or, can I?! There are many things that I haven't seen in quite a while, and she hasn't either, and I'm wondering if I remove those things from her room, if she'll ever even notice they're gone? Have you ever done this before? I have with one thing at a time, but this could very well be the entire closet floor, or the entire contents of the toy chest that she recently forgot even existed. Hmm... Thinking about it. Because, otherwise, this will require working with an exhausted girl (see note on our recent sleeping troubles above) to say goodbye to toys... She has her favorite things she likes to do, and is it really necessary to hold on to things that she only plays with when I say it is time to give the things away?

Project: Simplify -- Week Two -- Paper Clutter

2011-03-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, it is actually the end of week two as I'm posting this. Oops. I have a good start on it though. This week is tackling paper clutter. YAY! My least favorite thing, yet the thing I have the most of. Huh. Interesting.

Well, my mother-in-law is on board with this one, which is cool. So, we're trying to motivate each other by checking in and saying "Good for you!" I haven't actually gotten further than rounding up all of my paper clutter (it took a while, and a few boxes) at this point. But, the boxes are all sitting by the TV, ready for me to have a moment to veg-out. I am learning a new story to tell my kindergarteners this week, so that moment hasn't arrived yet. But, I hope to be ready in the next couple of days. Perhaps the week three project will be one I already have a handle on, so I can spend the time finishing weeks one and two (she says with a big grin on her face, knowing the odds of that are slim to none). Stranger things have happened!

Here is what is waiting for me:

What you don't see are the Recycle and Take Action boxes that I will be using one of to toss each piece of paper into. What you do see are all the pieces of paper that I will be making decisions about... That's quite a few boxes. I have to be honest. Two of them are filled with papers I took when I moved out of my old classroom last school year... It's just been hard to go through them for some reason. But, here I go!

Project: Simplify -- Week One -- Wardrobe and Closet

2011-03-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Don't you? I am always looking around and thinking How did we end up with so much ~~crap~~ stuff?... So, I was thrilled to find a declutter-a-long has just begun with one of my favorite blogs: Simple Mom.

Would you like to play along? Click on the picture above to go to the page that shows what we'll tackle each week. You really have to just commit to this, because you don't know what area will be tackled each week until the week arrives and the area is revealed... ooh... mysterious... I may or may not like that. We'll see.

Since this week has already begun, and the Hot Spot has been revealed, I can tell you that it is your wardrobe and closet. How funny that I actually just completed this task for Anastasia and I after being inspired to simplify. One family member's wardrobe is still in need of decluttering.... hee, hee, hee.... By the end of this week, Jason will either be pleasantly surprised, or digging through the "donate" boxes, looking for a shirt that is older than our relationship. If we're placing bets, my money is on the latter. But, I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best. I've actually been meaning to make him a memory quilt out of old (seriously, some of these shirts are literally hanging on by a thread) t-shirts of his. This is beginning to sound like the kick in the patutie that I needed to finally get that started.

Stay tuned for before and after photos!

Finding My Rhythm

2011-02-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted about my new school (okay, since I've posted about anything). It is keeping me busy in a wonderful way. I am able to use a lot of creativity at work and in preparing for work at home. How refreshing! I don't feel such a need for a creative outlet these days, because I am living it in my work life. Wow. I should share with you some of the things I am creating for work, and I will try to do that another day when I have more time (I need to finish my tea and get to sleep now). But, in the meantime...

Another waldorf thing, is rhythm. You might refer to it as "routine", and you probably know how much it helps to have one. This is especially true for children (those of you who have some or work with some know exactly what I'm talking about), and I'm finding that I am a happier camper these days now that I am knee deep in developing my own new rhythm. I'm feeling pretty fantastic, actually. It's nice.

In the kindergarten, we try to balance the day with "in" breaths and "out" breaths. An in breath is an activity that is more inward, thinking and reflection, calm, focused, requires a bit of concentration. An out breath is a more physical activity, releasing, outward. The in-out rhythm has a nice feel to it. In my classroom, it generally goes like this: circle, activity (nature walk, painting, beeswax modeling, craft, coloring, bread-making), inside play, snack, rest, outside play, story.

I am experimenting with rhythm in my personal life and remembering that I am quite a creature of habit. So, having a rhythm is very helpful to me! Not to say that the rhythm and I can't be flexible when we need to be, but that it provides me with a clear path of where I'm going and what is ahead of me each day, which sets my mind at ease. In trying to simplify, I am able to better follow my own rhythm and not get so distracted by the chaos that I see/feel around me, because the chaos (read: clutter) is slowly (but surely!) disappearing altogether or finding a home that is not in plain view of my procrastinating eyes.

So, I am trying to borrow some of my work rhythms and morph them into rhythms that will work for home life, too. In kindergarten, we have a snack schedule. Kids refer to the day of the week by what snack is being served--i.e. Monday is "rice day". Some of my colleagues have already utilized this technique at home for dinner preparation by instituting "taco Tuesday" or "Mexican Monday" or "soup Saturday"... that's not to say that is all they can eat on that day of the week, but I imagine it sure helps when Tuesday rolls around and you begin to ask yourself at 4:00 in the afternoon oh, shoot, what am I going to make for dinner?... You always have something in mind to quickly help you make the decision oh, yeah, tacos! I was thinking of instituting a similar rhythm for cleaning, but haven't been successful with a plan that I will stick to... yet.

I am curious, how do you use rhythm in your life? What rhythms have you found work really well for you?...your kids?...your family? I would love to hear from you, and then honor your success at maintaining a rhythm by borrowing your idea and trying it out for myself! ;-)

Simplify.

2011-01-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

At my new school, the kindergarten faculty has a curriculum specialist (what a novel and wonderful idea!) who helps to guide us with her 30+ years of waldorf experience. I have a hard time swallowing criticism (even when constructive), but am finding that after I've chewed on it for a few days it is much easier. And, I even end up liking the taste of my new skills/technique after I've implemented the suggestion. The best piece of advice she's given me all year, is this: simplify. Of course, she was referring to my classroom, but it totally inspired me and I have taken it to heart at home as well. It is helping me to find my rhythm at both work and home, and life is slowly but surely feeling a bit easier because of it.

How do you simplify?

This is what she said when referring to our classroom cabinets:
Pull everything out.
Only put back what is useful and beautiful.
Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!

So far at home, I have implemented this strategy to my clothes closet and dresser drawers. This resulted in two large garbage bags of clothes being donated to charity, and I can now see that there is a red wall on the back of my closet. Huh. It's kind of nice. I can actually see all of my clothes. I don't pass by five shirts because I don't ever really want to wear a single one of them. It feels orderly, without clutter and chaos. I love it!

Such a simple way to feel good. And, really, why would you want anything in your closet (or anywhere else in your home, for that matter) that wasn't useful and beautiful?

I immediately moved on to tackle Anastasia's closet and dresser, and it is easier for her to put her own clothes away now. I am itching to purge J's closet, but he's not ready to let me. In time... In time... Or, if the Bear's make it to the Superbowl and he somehow manages to go see the game without us... (Go Bears!) In the meantime, I am going to attempt the living and family rooms... Oh boy!

1/23/11 Edit: The Bears are not going to the Superbowl. But, I want you to know, it was not for lack of encouragement from our house!

Baby, it's cold outside!

2011-01-03T22:04:00.000-08:00

We're in a bit of a cold-snap here. Brrr! No better time to work on some of the felted wool jumpers I've had in mind, inspired by one of my students. Her mother made her a few of these that started as dresses when she was toddling, and as she's grown have become long shirts. I found some great wool/blend sweaters at a thrift store a few weeks ago and felted them immediately. One was actually a woman's vest, which felted enough that I didn't have to do any cutting and sewing at all. The others were womens' sweaters, which felted just right, so that I only had to cut off the sleeves and shape the arm and neck holes to fit just right. The sleeves could then be used to make wrist warmers.

I was so pleased to find this sparkly green sweater, which made a perfect Christmas gift for my little munchkin. There are still enough sleeve bits left that I can make some sparkly wrist warmers for myself, too! I made some a while back. It is really easy to do. If you're going to make the vest, you might as well make the wrist warmers to match, too. Don't you think? Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Update: Here is the only "action" photo I have so far. I didn't realise she'd put the vest on backwards until the night was nearly over... it was still cute! Here, she and her cousin are going camping in my parents' living room.

I'll add more vest photos as I get them. There is a really sweet purple vest...

Just say NO!

2010-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Hey kids, this is not just a handy phrase for when someone offers you a hit off their crack pipe. It works for that, sure, and this phrase is useful in many other situtations as well. For example, when you have an idea of one more thing to do/make for a child's birthday party that is already tricked out as much as it needs to be,... when you already have three piles of things to fix/sew/refashion and you find something at the thrift store that would fit perfectly if you just took in the waist a bit,... when you see a plant that you really want to buy for your garden but you already have plants at home that are still sitting in their pots (not so) patiently waiting to be planted,...

Procrastination is a bad thing most of the time, especially when you are a person who tends to say, "Sure, I can do that!" Because my husband has requested that I learn how to say "no", I am going to try. This will be extra difficult, since it will be breaking a habit of many (all of my) years. But, I think it's about time I really put some effort into this. Seems like my life will be simpler, less cluttered, smoother, happier as a result. Those are nice things to look forward to! So, this is my resolution for the new year. I am going to leave it with just this one thing to work on. Looky there: I'm just saying "no" to excessive resolutions. Off to a good start!

I hope you have a healthy and blessed new year. Do you have a resolution?

Sew What?!! Holiday Challenge: An ornament for the tree

2010-12-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is the last challenge. Maybe I will think twice before I commit to another thing that sounds really fun but I don't actually have the time for... well, maybe I will. Stranger things have happened, I'm sure. Plus, Jason has requested that I please learn how to say "no", so I really ought to try. Sounds like I have my first resolution for the new year!

The final challenge was an ornament for the tree. Is the angel considered an ornament? I'm going to say "yes" and have my sweet little angel count. She is a cornhusk angel that I bought, I don't know where, and knitted a skirt for her that matches our garland. She's cute. And the little angel who places her on top of the tree every year is cute, too!

This year's photo is on the camcorder, and I'm not sure how to get it out of there....! It is safe for you to just assume it is an equally cute photograph. ;-)

Sew What?!! Holiday Edition: Stockings

2010-12-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

So, this was the week three Sew What?!! Holiday Edition challenge, way back in October... Again, I didn't actually make these this year (it still counts, right?!).... I made them four years ago for Anastasia's first Christmas.

Not sure who made the pattern, but I know where to find it in my pile of yarn. If you're interested, just let me know. They weren't too tricky to knit. I did knit one for myself, too, it is hanging on the other side of this walkway. For our names, I crocheted a long chain and then used it to "write" our names, stitching to the stocking in strategic places.

You may remember, I actually completed and posted week two's challenge, a holiday outift, on time. Wow! You can check it out here.

Sew What?!! Holiday Edition--Trying to redeem myself with an oat bag.

2010-12-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

Oat bag.... I get my oat bag now. Oat bag time for me!

If you have ever listened to a Seinfeld cd, perhaps this quote is a familiar one to you. If not, just laugh along with me for a moment. After all, laughing is good for your health. Speaking of health, J eats oatmeal for lunch EVERY DAY. I would go nuts, but this is his thing. It started when he got a report of high cholesterol and continued after he lowered it due, in part, to an oatmeal-for-lunch-every-day diet. So, the diet continues.

Though I am waaaay behind on this (I think it happened in October), I committed to participate in The Sewing Dork and Until Wednesday Calls' Sew What?!! Holiday Challenge. I hate to fail. I think most people probably do, too, but I have this perfectionist quality that makes me physically ill if I do not complete something to my expectations. Perhaps that is why I have a cold now that Christmas is over... At any rate, I committed to the challenge and I will complete it! So, going back to these ladies' blogs to see what the challenges were.... I found that week one's Sew What?!! theme was "a gift for him". I couldn't think of anything else to sew, so I made this bag for J to store his oatmeal packets at work. He will likely be the only one who ever sees it, but I think it will give him a chuckle. And, that's a nice thing in the middle of your work day.

I thought the little horsey applique on the back was a nice touch. ;-)
A Bonus Craft for the Challenge was a garland. Now, clearly I did not have time to do that this year. But, I did knit the garland for our tree a few years ago. It's really easy, folks--huge needles, fuzzy yarn, cast on a few stitches and keep going until you run out of yarn....

Hope you had a lovely holiday, too.

Let's Get Ready for Christmas: A Wreath and A Giveaway Winner

2010-12-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

My winter break officially began at 11:00 yesterday when the kids were dismissed (well, really at 1:00 when I was driving home). Now, I can focus on this business of Christmas!

First, the winner of the mama and baby duck giveaway is #26, sandyandcosmo... Congratulations!

Secondly, I wanted to share with you a wreath that I helped my mom make for a contest at work. We did not win, but I think it's pretty cute for having only taken 10 minutes to make and using only things that I had laying around in my craft room. Though, I do apologize for the crappy picture. I've been using my camera as a phone for months, so I have no flash. You can barely see the ice fairy swinging in the middle...

I still need to make a wreath for my own front door but, like I said, I now have time to focus on the business of Christmas. So, it will come soon!

Giveaway Day 2010 (closed)

2010-12-12T23:42:00.000-08:00

*Giveaway is now closed**

I had so much fun with SewMamaSew's Giveaway Day last year, I'm doing it again. (If you don't know about Giveaway Day, go to the aforementioned web site and enter to win many other giveaways!)

Here are the dry felted wool mama and baby duck that you may win from me. I was going to give away just one, but how could I separate a mama and baby?!!

They are propped on a piece of scrap wool, which I can pretend is to represent some green food they are eating, but really it is to sit them up straight because their heads are a bit heavy. In the hands of a storyteller or young child, I don't think this will be a problem.

Please leave a comment here, with your email address or blog profile with an email address in it, if you would like me to send you these soft little duckies. If you are a lovely follower, please do say so in a second comment for a second entry. I will randomly draw a winner on Saturday. I will ship internationally on The 20th. I can't imagine this will get anywhere but down the street before Christmas, though I do think this would be a fun stocking stuffer. Best of luck to you!

Advent

2010-12-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

My sister called last night and was needing to come up with a quick Advent calendar idea, which reminded me that I was also needing to do that. The Sewing Dork had posted her idea a couple of days ago and I was wishing to borrow it. So, I did.

I think her version with kid socks is cuter than my version with me-sized socks, but it still fits the bill. I asked Anastasia to take down the first sock this morning and she was delighted when she realised there was a gift, "Mom! There are stickers in the sock!" I have a feeling there will be more stickers tomorrow...

Thank you, Cynthia, for the wonderful idea that is cute and easy enough to complete at the eleventh hour!

Sure, you can wear a pillowcase dress on a cold day!

2010-11-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Got this idea from Nancy. (Go to her blog to check out her Christmas version of the dress--too cute!)

Add some layers and your kiddo can wear a pillowcase dress for Thanksgiving. I think I may take Nancy's advice and add a ruffle to the bottom to add some length to the dress, as my girl has grown a few inches since I first made this dress for her.

I am not sure why this is her new "picture face"... We'll see how long this lasts!

Sooooo thankful!

2010-11-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

The other night, J handed me a piece of paper he'd found in a box in the closet. It was the discharge papers from when Little Miss was in the NICU after she was born. It was hard to read (I actually don't remember ever reading it, though I know I must have), as it instantly took my mind and heart back to reliving those nightmarish two weeks. You would never know that my big girl was born a preemie! I am so grateful for the care she received in the NICU (those nurses are angels) and for her helping me to realise that she is one tough cookie who is just determined to be in control as much as she can. Hmm... I wonder where she gets that from. ;-)

Thank YOU for reading through that little bit of mush--the icing on the cake is this lovely view outside my dining room window:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween Fun

2010-10-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

I once again used the bean bag board that was painted for two different birthdays: strawberry brownie and gingerbread. This time, it is being used at my uncle's 60th party, which we are celebrating today on this Halloween weekend. So, I went with a skull theme...

The holes for the beanbags are in the eyes and nose. I made lavender and flax filled bean bags with a skull fabric scrap I had on hand. I used this fabric on one side and different colored fabrics for the second side of the bag, so each child at the party can know which bean bag is theirs when it is time to take one home.

I hope I don't have to explain that the skull is in reference to Halloween and not the fact that he's turning 60... I'm not that dark, and he's not that old!

Sew What?!! Holiday Edition--Week Two: A Holiday Outfit

2010-10-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

You're thinking: Wait, did I miss the Week One post?... And, I'm answering: No. No, you did not. I haven't posted it yet. I know what I'm going to make.... but, I haven't done it. Yet. So, stay tuned for that (but, please don't hold your breath; it may be a while).

In the meantime, I did complete Week Two's challenge.... Sort of. Well, you see it is not a "holiday outfit", but just a part of an outfit. An accessory, really. I have always wanted to use some of my thrifted, felted sweaters (I have entirely too many) to make wrist-warmers...

Ta da! This was very simple. Just a few cuts and some blanket stitching, and my hands are as cozy as can be. Now, I would like a pair in every color of the rainbow. It won't take too long, and I bet I've already got the felted sweaters in my stash somewhere. I'd better go check...

Little help here...

2010-10-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

So, I pick up my daughter from school today and find her sitting at a table outside, eating "second lunch" (basically, whatever is left in the lunch box at about 4:00). She sees me coming and looks less than excited. When I sit down next to her, I realise that she is actually trying to hide something from me, as she turns her head down and away from me.... Last week when she did this, she tried to secretly spit a little rock out of her mouth, as she knew that it shouldn't have been in there and she was about to be caught. Today.... it was A PENNY!!! The reason the penny is getting capital letters and a number of exclamation points, is that since that moment, hours ago, I have been reliving a memory from my childhood.

When I was her age, for no good reason, I put a penny in my mouth and choked on it. People, the fire department was involved. It was a big, choking deal. I ended up swallowing it as soon as the big fire truck rolled up outside of our house and, try as we may, we never did find the darn thing.

Why did I do that?!?! I have no idea. I wish I did, because now I'm asking my daughter the same question and she is answering with "I don't know." And, I believe her.

Do you have any theories? More importantly, do you have any ideas of how to stop her?... Falling short of learning the lesson the hard way, because I REALLY do not want to call the fire department. Really.

I had an impromptu parent teacher conference on the spot, and discovered that her teacher has noticed her putting things in her mouth as well (rather harmless things though, like bits of paper). We brainstormed for a bit, and then decided with Little Miss that when she found something and felt the need to put it in her mouth she would bring it to her teacher and say "Quick! Take this away from me before I put it in my mouth!" (a little humor always helps with the little ones) and she will put it into a jar. Every so often, I will check the jar. I'm not sure what the reward ought to be for her filling a jar with things she really wanted to put in her mouth, but it ought to be something.

I am not sure how this is going to work out, since she is at the age where she is living in her limbs and asking her to think about what she is doing is not really developmentally appropriate. Deep breath.... This is a tough one. Seriously, ANY suggestions...?...

My First Blackboard Drawing

2010-10-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I am knee-deep in my Philisophical Foundations of Waldorf Education class, which means I will probably not be posting for a few days (sorry Blogtoberfest, but I will be in class all day tomorrow, too, and it is pretty tiring). It also means, I had the opportunity to do my first blackboard drawing today! I have always wanted to learn how to do that. I will not have the opportunity to practice the craft in my kindergarten classroom (no blackboards), but perhaps I will teach grades one day and draw upon my skills then. It sure was a lot of fun.

Dying Polyester?

2010-10-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

My dad and a bunch of his buddies are celebrating their 60th birthdays this year. So, we just had a big bash for them that had a 60's theme.

--Enter me, offering to help with something I wasn't really experienced in.--

I tie-dyed something once about 15 years ago. So, I figured it was safe to volunteer to tie-dye 50ish napkins for the party. I already had a bunch of polyester (blend?) napkins that had been discarded by a hotel and given to me by a former student's grandma who cleaned said hotel.

After attempting to dye the napkins twice, with two different brands of dye that was supposed to work on polyester, I thought perhaps the napkins had been treated with something to resist stains. I was ready to give up, when I discovered that iDye has a polyester formulation. The Sewing Dork had shown beautiful results with iDye, so I thought Okay, one more try...

Ta-da! It worked! I will forever be an iDye fan.

Basil Pesto Pasta Salad

2010-10-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

Has your summer extended into autumn, too? I was trimming my basil plants tonight, because they are still going gangbusters. A summer with an abundance of basil and only three tomatoes... Go figure. Anyhow, I need to use the basil while I still can, so I am planning to make a basil version of this pesto pasta that I so love.

I wonder if it is an option to freeze basil for future use?... Seems like it is not.... Do you know?

Simple Home Remedies

2010-10-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today, Simple Organic has posted "5 Simple Home Remedies That Really Work". A few involve essential oils, which you know I love. The fifth remedy is one I had never heard of--using onions to battle a cold, including making a cough syrup with onions and honey! I am willing to give this one a try, though I'm not sure how it will go down with the rest of my family...

Arm Warmers

2010-10-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

I made these for my niece's birthday. Or was it Christmas.... I can't remember. In any case, it was a long time ago. She loved them, which thrilled me, of course. They had a previous life as socks, and were refashioned into these:

She is definitely ROCKing this look!

I have some more armwarmers in the works, so perhaps you will see them this month. We'll see...

Pamela's Brownies

2010-10-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

As a Mom Ambassador, I am given the opportunity to sample various products with the moms and kiddos who attend my "green mom" group meetings. At my last meeting, we sampled the individual serving packs of Pamela's Products Brownies. They are gluten and dairy-free and so I really wasn't sure what they were going to taste like... Oh. My. Gosh. They are sooooo good! It was like chocolate mouse (my favorite dessert) in cake form, and so rich that it really seemed like two servings (I don't think anyone in the group was able to finish their whole serving--not even the kids!). The brownies are sweetened with honey and molasses, which was refreshing for a brownie mix. Overall, my group and I were very pleased with this product. I would recommend you try it. We topped ours with warmed blackberries and whipped cream (slightly sweetened with honey and a drop of vanilla). If single-serve packets are not yet available to you, get a big packet and make a batch to take to a party--your hosts will love you for it!

Blogtoberfest

2010-10-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

In light of yesterday's post (I still would like your opinions, by the way!), I decided to join Blogtoberfest. This means I will be blogging every day this month. What?! You were just saying you didn't have time to blog and now you're saying you're going to do it every day?!! Yeah.... I'm funny like that. I think it is safe to guarantee that many (most) posts will be short and not involve a craft I made that day but, rather, a daily anecdote, photo, or something like that. Perhaps a giveaway or two (BusyBeeFree has an awesome one right now for Blogtoberfest AND there is a post over at CurlyPops devoted to all of the Blogtoberfest giveaways), we'll see. I missed day one, but I blogged yesterday and it seems to be okay to join-in whenever, so... would you like to join in? Maybe it will motivate both of us. Click the button:

Decoration Opinion--Crows?...Ravens?

2010-10-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging as much, if anyone noticed, but I am having a bit of a difficult time adjusting to working 5 days/week instead of the 2 or 3 I had been accustomed to since Miss A was born. Additionally, kindergarten seems a lot more difficult than fifth grade, which seems like an odd thing to say.... But, the thing is, these children are learning how to be in a room with 22 other little people who also want my undivided attention, so there is a lot of adjustment for them, too. So, it's challenging in a way that I've not been challenged before. Plus, it's my first year with a kindergarten curriculum, which means I am spending a lot of my "free" time developing circles, learning songs, and things like that, rather than spending time on the computer. At first, I thought, Okay, this will just be tricky for the first year, next year I will have it down and be able to think a little more about my non-work life when I am away from school. But, then I remembered that many of our children stay with us for two years (remember, this is a waldorf-inspired school), so next year we will tell different stories, do different crafts, and lead different circles and I will be spending time learning all the new things again. At least I should have our daily/weekly rhythm down by then!... Long story short, I've been wanting to craft and sew and blog, but the time just hasn't been there. Kindergarteners take a lot more energy, too, so I can't stay up late like I used to and still have enough energy the next day. This is proving to be helpful in sticking to one of my New Year's Resolutions that had fallen by the wayside.

But, you thought I needed your opinion in this post, so why are you reading about my job? (Are you still reading?!!) Well, that was just a side-note, because it was on my mind and I wanted to thank you if you are in fact still reading this blog. Yes, I am looking for your help. Here's the deal:

We have a murder of crows (I love that!) that roost in our neighborhood. I love the fact that they are so intelligent; it freaks J out a bit. I also am a big fan of ravens. We don't have any around here, but I fondly remember the ravens from the Tower of London. So cool... Anyhow, it's getting near Halloween (in case you didn't already realize that) and I would like to step up my decorations a bit. In honor of the neighboring birds, I've decided I would like a crow/raven theme. So far, I have a bale of hay on the front porch, which has nothing to do with ravens, but it's all I've been able to do that had something of an autumn theme.

What else should I do? What should I make? (Remember the start of this post when I told you I don't have as much time on my hands as I would like...) Have you seen anything in a store, on a blog, or have you crafted something yourself that might work with my theme? Please share it here! I will do my best to follow some/all suggestions and post about it here in a timely manner.

Thank you in advance for your help, and thank you for reading this blog (though the posts are now few and far between). With gratitude!

And the winner of the skirt is...

2010-09-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

...Melissa! Random.org picked you, lucky lady. I'll be in touch.

Toddler Skirt Giveaway--CLOSED

2010-09-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

Remember this skirt?
She wore it at three,

and again at four,

and now it's time to pass it along. I think she only wore it these two times, so it has plenty of use left.

Would you like it for your little one? Will she wear it to a special event, or just for general girly fun? Let me know. Are you a follower? Comment a second time for a second chance. I'll choose a winner at random on Tuesday(ish) and send it their way shortly thereafter. This is pretty light-weight, and I'm just going to squish it into an envelope, so I am happy to ship to anywhere in this big, beautiful world.

Balaclava

2010-08-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I made a helmet liner for my cousin. After an email conversation in which I thought he was obsessing about sweet, flaky pastries, I discovered that another name for this little item is "balaclava". My cousin had a bit of leave and came to visit the family for a couple of weeks last month. I convinced him to let me share a picture of him wearing the balaclava I knitted for him last winter. Here it is. I see now that it is a bit too big in the corners, and I hope that doesn't make it too cold... better than none at all, I suppose.

He is a superhero. I am so proud!

Becoming Waldorf: Our Nature Table

2010-08-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed to the left over there that I am now teaching Kindergarten. Quite a jump from the fifth grade that I am used to, especially since this Kindergarten is in a Waldorf-inspired school. This is just one bonus of my new job, as Waldorf education has always resonated with me. Other bonuses include the school being a short five-minute drive away, Little Miss will be attending school there next year, the school's foundation is helping me to obtain my Masters in Waldorf Education.... the list keeps going on. THIS is the silver lining of the lay-off cloud! Something better was waiting around the corner. I am so grateful.

One of the features of the Waldorf Kindergarten is a nature table. This is a place to bring nature indoors and reflect what is happening outdoors. I like this idea so much that I have created a nature table in my home as well. Here is a picture of my first attempt a few weeks ago:

Not too bad. Uncluttered. Lavender wand (Want to learn how to make one? I bet I could tutorial that... Let me know). Beeswax candle (YUM). Seasonal flowers. A dry felted bee (Yes, that black blob is a bee. We have big, black bees swarming our passion vine all summer.). Some sycamore bark that I found on the ground. I am excited to keep this evolving as the seasons slowly change. I hope to one day get (make?) a postcard holder, as there are some beautiful postcards with seasonal images at the local Waldorf college bookstore.

So, in preparing for this job, I have been (and will continue to be) reading a lot of books written by Waldorf educators, talking to a lot of Waldorf teachers, and I have found some really neat "waldorfian" blogs. The first addition I have found to add to the nature table next summer is a strawberry, inspired by The Wonder Years. Bonus: Little Miss will be able to make some of her own to play with. Keeping our eyes open for small pinecones...

Still getting the crap out, and trying out a new routine.

2010-08-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

I am (at a snail's pace) continuing on my quest to rid my home of excess clutter after starting with the craft room. Today, V and Co. (my organizing hero) announced a little giveaway for $100 gift card... yeah, you should go check it out. You don't have to do anything special, just leave a comment. PLUS, you get to read about her brilliant keep-the-house-clean routine. Anyone who knows me in real life (e.g. married me and now has to live with this fact daily) knows that I hate cleaning. I'm not very good at it. Well, I just don't do it too often. Not a very good habit to instill in my child, so I shall turn a new page. Starting tomorrow, and totally plagerizing V and Co.'s routine, I will begin with "Organizing Thursday". View her post to see what each day of the week is geared toward and how she gets her kiddos to help (with or without complaining).

No link-ups, but a lot of great leads to other blogs in my last post. Keep 'em coming, and I will share my final decision(s) in another post or two. Thank you for your help.

Is your kid too much of an artist? (Link up, please!)

2010-08-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

I don't really mean it like that. I love art. I love that my kid loves art. But... she produces a lot of art at school.... A LOT. And, I am her mother, so how can I possibly recycle ANY of it, let alone MOST of it?

While V & Co. was helping me clean out my craft room, I realized there were quite a bit of my kiddo's school creations in there.

What is a mother to do? Obviously, I can't keep it all.

I would love to hear your ideas of how to keep a select few in an ORGANIZED manner, that is also easy to add to (or make again, as the case may be) as we continue through the schoolyear.

Seriously, folks. If you have a post on your blog that relates to storing/sharing your kiddo's artwork, will you please share that specific blog post URL(s) here? Or, if you've been inspired by a post on another blog, will you leave a comment with that blog's URL or ask that blogger to link up? I will write up a nice post about the blog(s) that inspire me! Thanks in advance for your help.

*This is my first linky widget, so please give me a moment to figure it out, if it's not working...

While the mice are away, the cat will get organized.

2010-07-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

Slowly, but surely.... Once I got going, there was no stopping me. Yesterday afternoon and this morning, I had a bit of child-free time to work on the grand mess I call a craft room. I pulled EVERYTHING out of there and then only brought back things that had a place to call home. I will confess, there is still a stack of papers that I need to sort through. Though I know most of it will be recycled, some are valid papers that need to be filed.

Remember the before (yikes!):

And here is what it looks like now:

See how there's a floor in there?... and a cat (relaxing on her tree)?... and a sewing area? I would still like to go through the cupboards and purge from there, but this was an excellent start.

Overwhelmed, but inspired to get the crap out of my house.

2010-07-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

I like things to be organized. I get a great sense of accomplishment in labeling drawers and cabinets and having things put away. The problem is.... I'm not very good at it. Or, maybe I'm just not very motivated to get started. Or, maybe I'm just a really excellent piler, in that I have piles of things in the rooms of my home that I frequent--pile of clean clothes that is always on the end of my bed needing to be put away, but doesn't get put away until there are more clean clothes that won't fit on the end of the bed; the piles of paper (mail, things that need to be recycled, artwork from A's school, recipes that were made or need to be made) on the kitchen counter; piles of stuff that I am "working on" in the tv/computer room, which are often related to my job (presently, this consists of lesson plans from my old job that need to be filed or tossed and Waldorfy books that need to be read and songs that need to be learned for my new job) or the various sewing projects that I have going at the same time; not to be outdone by the giant mess in my craft room that contains all the contents of my old classroom, craft supplies that I "had" to have but have no where to live, fabric that is waiting to be sewn, articles of clothing that are waiting to be refashioned, seeds that need to be planted, a cat that is trying to find a place to sleep and eat amidst all of this...

That was embarrasing. But, now I am accountable to you because I am telling you that I am joining V & Co. and getting the crap out of my house.

Whew! I feel better just writing that down.

Stay tuned people. This is going to be big!

Put your family on the wall.

2010-07-13T22:49:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit this was a last-minute wedding gift... I should really consider changing my blog's name to "The Master Procrastinator", though I'm sure it's already taken by a kindred spirit.

I got J involved in this one by asking him (at dinner the night before the wedding... yes, really) to cut a piece of wood for me. After telling him of my gift-making plans for the evening, I believe his exact words were, with eyebrows raised, "Are you serious?" He was pleased to find in the garage not only a scrap piece of wood already cut in the dimensions I asked for, but also a belt sander to quickly accomplish my request of sanding all of the edges.

The next steps were for me to apply the base color, the crackle medium, the top color, paint on the lettering, and paint on the varnish. No, it did not happen that quickly. There was a lot of drying time in between each of those steps. It was a bit of a long night, but I got my craft on so it was worth it. Here's the finished gift (If I ever finish a project in the daylight hours, I will have a non-crappy photo to share with you. Please, don't hold your breath.):

Though it is laying on a rug in this photo, it is intended to hang on the wall. The newlyweds' home features black and red accessories (as discovered on their registries), so I think I am safe with the colors I chose (red base coat, black crackle on top). I hope they have a white wall on which to hang this, as I think that would look smashing. I am so happy with this, that I plan to make one for our wall, too. Some ~~day~~ night...

Independence Day (and Giveaway Winner!)

2010-07-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

Hope those of you who were celebrating the 4th of July enjoyed yourselves. We did (in our matching pillowcase refashions).

Little Miss's embellishments are blue satin stars. I think I will practice shirring on the front of my blouse. After I put it on (and it was too late to make any changes), I thought that it could use a bit more form.

On another note... Random.org decided that commenter #1 is the winner of my giveaway, so... Congratulations, Needled Mom!

Best Family Photo EVER

2010-07-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

I swear, I'm not being conceited. My sister said that about this photo. I just happen to agree with her.

Honestly, it's a toss-up for me between that one and this one:

I can't decide which one I am going to print on canvas and hang over the mantle... Opinions? (The wall has a royal blue glaze, if that sways you one way or the other.)

My sister's Mother's Day gift was a two-hour session with a local photographer and all the digital photos! Our kids were instantly comfortable with him (which, if you have kids, you know is a major bonus point!). He was fabulous! Please, please, please check out Robert Goold if you are in the vacinity of San Diego. I recommend him very highly. We had so many photos to choose from, and they were all great. If you need a second opinion, just ask my sister. She is always happy to share her opinion, and she may even share one of her family photos, which were also beautiful.

Baby (Doll) Sling... Sew What?!!

2010-06-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you, these Sew What?!! challenges are really getting my creative juices flowing..... Unforunately, I am in class for the next three weeks and do not have the time, at the moment, to see all (any) of these ideas to fruition. I have a list going... But, I did manage to get one more thing done tonight for the final Sew What?!! challenge: Carry It. In other words, make something to carry something else. I have a couple of things I probably should have made, but I wanted to make something fun for my little one to carry her little one.

A baby doll sling.

Modeled after my own baby sling (I think it's called a Maya Wrap?), which I was shown how to make four+ years ago (I wanted to share a picture of me using it four years ago, but I think those pictures got wiped when the computer freaked out some time ago. I'll keep looking...). So, I don't have a pattern, I had to just look at my sling and copy it on a smaller scale. Since this isn't going to carry a real baby, I'm not worried about any minor imperfections. It seems to be serving it's purpose just fine.

A Pillow for a Present... Sew What?!!

2010-06-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not sure how well received a pillow will be by a four-year-old. We'll see on Saturday. I have finally completed the challenge for week three of Sew What (Just a few days late... oops. Can I blame it on Father's Day, or shall I go with my usual--general procrastination?), which involved reverse applique--something I've never attempted and discovered that I love! I have another idea for a reverse applique pillow for my couch, which will include the challenge's extra-credit of making coasters (maybe the extra-credit will counteract the tardiness of my entry...). So, stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here is my pillow with reverse applique, which will be given away on Saturday to...

I followed my brother-in-law's girlfriend's advice and added a pocket to the back. This made for a much better gift for a child, after I slipped in one of our favorite bedtime books.

Aw, you're so sweet. (And, a CLOSED giveaway!)

2010-06-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

I have received my first blog award. Sweet! It's from my sister, so I'm hoping she didn't feel like she had to give it to me... but, I'll take it anyway. ;-)

There are rules for accepting this award, so let's get on to that.

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
Thanks, Tess! Check out her blog, Baby.Got.Craft.. I like how she's paying the love forward with a giveaway--go enter it before Friday!--so, I'm going to copy her and give something away, too. Keep reading...

2. Share 10 things about yourself.

I am not a vegetarian. People think I am because I am thinnish.
I am not a runner either, though people think so for the same reason as #1. Actually, I hate running. The only reasons I would run are if someone were chasing me or my daughter were in danger. And, if my daughter was in danger, I would bust out a little TAVE-Fu as well.
I love to eat.... slowly. I like to enjoy the taste of my food.
In light of #3, I fear the day my metabolism slows down. I thought it would be here a couple years ago, but it's coming, I know...
Like my sister, I'd choose shopping at an estate/garage sale over shopping at the mall...any day. In fact, I can't remember the last time I shopped at a mall.
I have fibromyalgia. It sucks. But, what are you going to do?
I broke my neck and back and punctured a lung in a car accident in high school.
In light of #7, my daughter may never drive! I know that is not realistic, but it is going to be a very difficult day for me--moreso than most mothers, I think. Hoping her friends will understand after I scare the bugeesus out of them.
I love gardening on cool summer mornings until it gets too hot to work anymore.
I come up with my best ideas in the shower, which is why I now keep bath crayons in there (they're good for writing love notes, too).

3. Pass the award along to bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
This was made a little bit easier by the term "recently discovered", otherwise this post would take the whole page.

Until Wednesday Calls--discovered this cool mama at the beginning of the month through my participation in Sew What?!! Her daughter is cute as a button and I share her love of denim and birdies.
Betty Rockit--a self-proclaimed robot extraordinaire I found through Sew, Mama, Sew's giveaway day last month. My daughter loves to pretend she's a robot, so I feel a sort of kinship with Betty.
BusyBeeFree--the knitter I hope to someday be, also found on giveaway day, who lives across the pond and reminds me of fun times spent over there. I greatly appreciate that she blogs in English. AND, I have made a purse similar to the one in her header!

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

The Giveaway:
As I said, Baby.Got.Craft. is hosting a giveaway in thanks for her award. I would like to do the same. And, I like her rules, so I'm just going to copy them, too! Here's what you need to do to win:

Check out the blogs I am awarding (See #3 above), and let me know your favorite blog post found on one of these new Beautiful Blogs!
Second optional entry for becoming a follower, or being one already.
Leave a comment for each - That's it! I'll use a random method to pick the winner on Friday 7/2.

What will you win? These red fabric bits and other red things as I find them and stick them in the envelope.

Why red? I don't know. Sometimes you just need a good dose of red.

A Gardening Apron and Time to Use It

2010-06-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Friday was my last day of teaching at the school I've been at for four years with a wonderful teaching partner. Yesterday was the day I finished packing the last of my classroom into moving boxes. *sigh*

Not to worry. I have a new partner, a new school, and a new teaching gig in kindergarten waiting for me in August. I am venturing into Waldorf territory, which is an opportunity I am very excited about.

In the meantime, I shall garden... with my little one... in matching gardening aprons I made for us out of thrifted jeans and fabric scraps. Check us out.

Apparently, Butterfly Bush flowers don't smell too great.

$2 Thread Spool Holder

2010-06-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

I was at the fabric store yesterday and saw thread spool holders on sale for $10... Not bad, but I don't have ten extra dollars right now. Need to be extra-frugal for the summer, as we are down to one paycheck now, so... I decided I could make my own. Would you like to make one, too? Okay, here's how you do it:

You need a picture frame, skinny wood dowels, letter stickers, scrapbook paper, tissue paper, hot glue, and mod podge. I went to the dollar store and got the frame and a reed diffuser (I used the wood reeds instead of dowels) for a grand total of $2. Everything else was already waiting for me at home.

I promptly threw the fragrance part of the reed diffuser away, and you should, too. It is full of nasty chemicals that you do not want wafting up your nose and into your body! Seriously. "Fragrance" is not a happy thing to read on a label. What does it mean exactly? You don't know. But, you can bet it is a synthetic chemical. Okay, I will step down off the soap box now... You just need the reeds anyway. I made marks on mine and then cut them into roughly two inch pieces. They are easy enough to cut with scissors.

Next, I marked my picture frame to indicate where I wanted the reeds to be glued. My marks are two inches apart, which was a guess at the time but ended up being a good distance apart for the thread spools. You will probably want to remove your frame's glass at this point in the game.

Then, I began hot gluing the reeds onto my frame marks. This was more difficult than I expected... I guesstimated the "correct" angle for the reeds to be tilted. I learned that allowing the hot glue to harden just a bit before sticking the reed in it made me slightly less irritated by the whole gluing process. Only slightly.

I ended up using 13 reeds, so this part took a while.

Now you can pick out some scrapbook paper that you like and cut it to the size that will fit behind the glass of your frame. Find some alphabet stickers that match, too. If I had scrapbook paper that had some kind of sewing theme, I would've used that.... But, I didn't.

Set the paper and stickers aside, and bust out the mod podge! You were probably thinking, this thread holder is looking pretty ugly with these giant blobs of hot glue.... and it was. But, watch this. Tear tissue paper (that matches the scrapbook paper you chose) in thinnish strips. Decoupage them onto the front and sides of the frame, making sure you cover the glue blobs!

No, I did not decoupage over the "baby" that was on the frame. That actually fell off when I took off the plastic packaging of the frame. It is standing by with the paper and stickers right now. Wait for it...

I decoupaged the "baby" back on and the stickers I found in my stash. The holder is still wet in this photo, and I admit it doesn't look great. But, once you put the glass back in and use it for it's intended purpose...

Pow!

The critics just love it.

Linked up at:

First Aid Bag... Sew What?!!

2010-06-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law is going on a cross-country adventure in a couple of weeks--he will be visiting every state before he crosses back in to California (we may never see him again!... at the very least, it will be quite a while if he follows through with his grand plan). When I saw this past week's Sew What Challenge, I knew immediately that I needed to make a bag for him to take on his journey. If I were going on a journey like this, alone, in my car, you can bet I would have a first aid kit of oils with me.

So, I made him a First Aid bag, with a piece of elastic inside to snugly hold a few essential oils:
Peppermint for tummy troubles...
Purification for insect bites and battles...
Panaway for muscle relief after driving for hours...
Lavender for just about everything else.

Something for me... Sew what?!!

2010-06-06T01:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't put this button up until now, because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to meet the deadline for the challenge. I did it! (Okay, just barely; but, what else is new?)

I will be needing more long skirts next school year (more on that later), and I wanted to be sure I made them--I am trying to stay true to my Wardrobe Refashion commitment and I don't have the money to spend on new clothes, since I won't have a paycheck next month. So.... here's my first "new" skirt:

I started by cutting the inseam out of my comfiest pair of jeans. After I started cutting, I freaked out a little, thinking I don't have a pattern... I don't know what I'm doing... I don't even have a real plan yet... I am so glad it all turned out okay, or I would be down a pair of good jeans.

Next, I started cutting up a cotton/poly bedspread that my grandmother gave me (along with the trundle bed that it has been living on for the last 30+ years), to fill in the middle of my soon-to-be skirt. It was all very trial and error. The crotch parts were difficult to sew properly. I'm sure there is a good method for that, and I hope to figure it out some day... I didn't alter the hem of the jeans--just matched the bedspread fabric to go along with it. I am realising that it will drag far too much, so I will be rehemming in the near future.

As far as the Sew What?!! sew-along goes, it is a joint effort between The Sewing Dork and her Canadian friend. I am a little unclear on the rules, so I'm not sure how well I did this week... I think I was supposed to make a skirt out of denim and one other fabric. I don't know what next week's challenge is going to be, but I am going to try to continue using bits of this bedspread throughout the month. We'll see if that works out.

Happy Belated Birthday--Memory Quilt

2010-06-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

My sister's birthday was at the beginning of May. I had hoped to have her gift finished before then, but... Have I mentioned I am a master procrastinator?!! Anyhow, she was up visiting this weekend and I was determined to have it finished before she left. The presentation wasn't grand, but she likes it:

This is a quilt made from her high school event t-shirts, with a couple of pictures transfered on as well. But, wait! There's more!...

The back side is made from tshirts from her softball days, elementary school, junior high, and college. Whew. Bit off a little more than I could comfortably chew in a timely manner. But, it got done and I learned a few things.
One, quilting is hard.
Two, blanket edging is a pain in the arse to sew.
Three, I am totally going to make one for my daughter. She does not have a bedspread and I think a patchwork quilt would be awesomly cute. I may try to fit a couple of her baby outfits/blankets onto the quilt. You know, for the memories (okay, that would be more for me than for her). I think I'll just start gathering scraps that she likes, since there is no timeline on this one--except for maybe finishing it before the weather gets cold again.

One more thing I want to point out. In the second pic, see the green square near the bottom?... It is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that says, "It is more intelligent to hope rather than to fear, to try rather than not to try... Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says it can't be done."
Which reminds me of one of my Swedish great grandmother's sayings, when translated into English, "Can't never did anything." True.... True....

Linking to:

Here comes the Geek Squad!

2010-05-31T23:47:00.000-07:00

I thrifted these shirts just in time for my brother-in-law's "Nerdy Thirty" birthday party, nerdy clothing optional. Optional?!... Coming out of my sister's mouth, and seeing as how she and I are quite competitive in a sisterly sort of way, I took that as a challenge.

J wore his shirt "as is". Easy.

I took mine in quite a bit from the men's XXL where it started.

Little Miss got another Men's Shirt Dress (jumper) out of the deal, so she could sport a nifty pocket protector, which provided hours (okay minutes) of entertainment. I have no idea why she's trying to look so tough in this picture. Actually, I think she's just annoyed that we've asked her to stand still for a minute. The party venue was way too much fun.

My sister went to a lot of trouble to geek-out the party. Check it out on her blog. Good stuff!

Won't you be my neighbor?

2010-05-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

**June 8th Update: I got 2nd Place!

Hoping that conjures up fond memories of Mr. Rogers... take a moment.... reminisce... ah.

Okay, seriously, if you are in the Sacramento area and happen to be planning a trip to Beverly's on Madison before this weekend is over.... Vote for my apron--apron #5! The aprons are hidden behind the fabric cutting counter. Not sure why, but that's where they are. This is the one you're looking for. No, my waist is not this small (this is the tiniest dress-form I've ever seen).

I am a finalist, which is cool. I've never made an apron before... It was fun! I plan to get good use out of this apron while gardening--the pockets are going to come in so handy. I also plan to make more and see how they move (if they move...) at a craft fair this fall. I will be making a matching apron for Little Miss, so stay tuned for that. I reused an old pair of jeans, burlap from my stash, and extra fabric from a couch that doesn't live in my parents' house anymore. I made the bias tape by hand, the old-fashioned way, which is actually a quite soothing process, in my opinion.

Winners will be announced June 1st... fingers crossed!

Tonsils & Strawberry Ice Cream

2010-05-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a bumpy little ride, but we turned a big corner this weekend and Little Miss is well on the way to mending. I came home from running an errand on Saturday afternoon to find that she had requested, and consumed, a snack of hard pretzels!... That was a big step away from the previous any-type-of-food-hurts-my-throat direction we'd been going for the previous eight days. Saturday was also the last time she had any pain medication.

Tonight, when I arrived back home after my aromatherapy class, I found a sweet girl, quietly sleeping in her own bed!! That is something I have noticed already--her sleep is so peaceful. She is not tossing and turning all over the bed and she seems to finally be getting some good sleep. Ah.

We have all been enjoying some strawberry ice cream that I made. Being that it's nearly summer (though, you wouldn't guess it by the weather we've been having) and time to get the ice cream makers out, I wanted to share the recipe with you. I have no idea where I found it. I wrote it down on the back of an envelope sometime last year, so your guess is as good as mine...

Strawberry Ice Cream
Scald 3 and 1/4 c. milk until bubbles form. Remove from heat. Add 3 and 1/2 c. sugar and 1 and 1/8 tsp. salt (I've just started using Himalayan pink salt--it's fun!). Stir until dissolved. Stir in 3 and 1/8 c. half and half, 1 and 3/4 tsp. strawberry extract (this could be vanilla, or whatever, instead), and 7 and 1/2 c. whipping cream.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Freeze in mixer.

Yum it up!

And the winner is....

2010-05-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Alright, well, apparently I'm not cool enough to figure out how to copy the cute little purple and white box from the random.org site and paste it here, so... you will just have to take my word for it. The "True Random Number Generator" chose comment #109:

That is so pretty! My girls and I dyed playsilks with koolaid a few months ago, and that was pretty fun (we did a rainbow one) but nothing like this... Thanks for the giveaway!

You are welcome, Genevieve P! I will be contacting you shortly, so check your email and we'll get the mailing details all squared away.

I have also dyed silks with Kool-Aid, and that was super-fun, too! I think my next project might be to try combining the two techniques.... Yeah, stay tuned for that and I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Giveaway Day! (CLOSED. Stay tuned for the winner...)

2010-05-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

**I will choose a winner after I finish teaching this afternoon... Stay tuned! Thank you to everyone for playing!

I wasn't prepared to do this in December, but I'm ready now. Sew, mama, sew! is hosting another giveaway day. Head on over there to see ALL the other fabulous goodies you can try to win. Who among us doesn't love to get a package of wonderful, free goodness in the mail with our very own name on it?!! Here is what I am offering:

A hand-dyed, 100% silk scarf.

I dyed this with bleeding tissue paper (gold, green, and blues). The Sewing Dork sent me some a while back after she'd dyed Easter eggs with it. I was then observing a kindergarten room and saw them using the same tissue to dye scarves for Mother's Day gifts... Genious! Simple! Beautiful!

If you don't win this giveaway, head over to my tutorial and learn how to make one for yourself. But, I do hope you win. Go ahead and leave a comment. If you like what you see here, become a follower and come along on the journey. I will randomly choose a winner in the wee hours of the morning of May 21st. I will happily ship internationally.
*If you don't want to leave your email in your comment, please make sure you are following so you will know if you have won!

Best of luck to you!

Today is a BIG day

2010-05-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

The tonsils are coming out as we speak. If you're new to this conversation, I'm not talking about my own tonsils, but those of my four-year-old. After speaking with the pre-op nurses and some of you (THANK YOU for all of your support!!!), I understand that she will probably not want to attempt eating anything today. Still, I want to be prepared for tomorrow and the following days with some homemade comfort food. It needs to be cold and soft, and not citrusy. I plan to try my hand at a pudding recipe by Betty Crocker. I have a variety of popscicles already in the freezer (we'll see how the carrot juice ones go over). Ice cream will be churning this aftenoon...

Do any of you have any soft-food recipes to share? I sure would love to give them a try. Please chime in if you do.

Also, I would like to give my sister a public "thank you" for sending the following books, which have been read nearly non-stop for the last two days. Good stuff.

Mother's Day Scarves

2010-05-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

After visiting a couple kindergarten classrooms and watching them dye scarves for their mothers, I thought my fifth graders probably could use some help with Mother's Day gifts, too. So, I ordered scarves from Dharma Trading Co. (love them!), raided our classroom supply cabinets for bleeding tissue paper, and helped my kids out a bit.

Sure, it took me an entire day to iron 31 scarves. But, it was totally worth it. The kids loved to see each others' creative color combinations as I unrolled each scarf for ironing, and I think their moms loved receiving such unique gifts that they were likely not expecting!

I do not have a thorough tutorial for this craft, as it requires the use of bleeding tissue paper..... which, bleeds.... all over your counter and hands, and you need both hands to quickly fold/roll and clean up! Not much extra time for picture taking, so I hope my words will suffice for the first part of the tutorial and I will finish with photos.

For this project, you will need: a silk scarf, bleeding tissue paper (cut or torn to a size smaller than the width of your scarf), lemon juice and water (50/50) in a spray bottle, a safe place for the full of dye scarf to rest for a day (like an old plastic container or packaging of some sort), and an iron.

Lay your scarf out on a counter or other surface that you won't freak out if it gets a bit of color on it that won't clean off. I suppose waxed paper on your counter would work just fine.

Set your tissue paper pieces on your scarf, with the first piece/color being very close to the edge that you will start folding/rolling from. I used four rectangular pieces of tissue, two pieces each of two colors.

I then folded my scarf from my starting edge, spraying with the lemon juice mixture as I continued to fold. My students rolled their scarves, rather than folding them, and I really like the way they turned out. The color is more fluid and spots have a tie dyed effect that I enjoy. But, both methods are cool. You want the scarf to be wet, as this is how the tissue will transfer its color to the scarf. The lemon juice's acidity helps to set the color as well. Continue folding and spraying until you've reached the end of your scarf. Fold it some more if you need, and set it in your "safe place".

Leave it alone for a full day. Try to keep it out of the sun, as you don't want it to dry out. Spray with more lemon juice mixture if you need to.

After a full day, unfold your scarf and remove the tissue.

Set your iron to the silk setting and get to ironing! This will set the color and dry out your scarf. If it is still too wet, I would recommend using a pressing cloth for a while first, then iron over the whole scarf without it.

Voila!

(folded method)

(rolled method)

A simple piece of yarn is all you need to wrap your gift.

(rolled method)

Please come on back to visit on Monday,

as I will be participating in

Also, this post is linked up @

Winner of the Essential Oil Giveaway

2010-05-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Melissa said,
Loved your website! I would love to start to use essential oils around my house. I have heard they are so good for you and have been looking for a play to buy them. I make my own laundry detergent and have been looking for an oil to put in so I would pick lavender for me. Thanks for a fun contest!
Melissa, I want to know how your laundry detergent turns out with lavender because YOU WON! Watch for my email so you can reply with your mailing address.

This giveaway sure was a lot of fun to host, and I hope to do another in the nearish future. I am actually pondering an idea for a shirt swap.... so, stay tuned for that. In the meantime, I want to address some of the wonderful comments and questions that were left on my giveaway post. These are, of course, my personal opinions and suggestions based solely on my use of Young Living brand essential oils. If you would like any further follow-up, please comment on this post or send me an email.

My two cents:
Thieves is a great oil blend. Clove is one of my favorite smells, too! The immune support is fantastic. It is the oil that I diffuse most often, particularly in the winter months. I also spray it on the door handles, water faucets, etc. in my classroom for extra protection!

Lemon, orange, and other citrus oils are so energizing and wonderful to smell. The first time I smelled lemon, I was surprised, because I was expecting a smell similar to lemon juice. Citrus oils are pressed from the rinds of the fruit (not distilled) which is an entirely different smell--more similar to that zesty scent you get when you peel the fruit. Because the oil is from the rind, you could use the antiseptic properties to your advantage by pouring directly on a wound (I have done this on my child with lemon oil) and it would not sting. Again, this is based only on my experience with Young Living oils! I would NOT recommend doing this with any other brand of oil. Oils that you can buy in a store are often cut with stuff that you would not want to put on your skin (alcohols, other oils that are not listed on the label, etc.) as they could irritate it. This was the first thing that came to mind when a commenter mentioned getting a burning rash from lemon oil... Yikes! You do want to be careful with sun exposure after putting any brand of citrus oil (and certain others) on your skin, as they can cause photo sensitivity for a day or more after application.

Eucalyptus has been in the rotation at my home quite frequently lately, as we are all suffering from allergy induced stuffy noses! A drop on the pillow at night allows for easier breathing and more restful sleep. A drop in a warm bath with a closed door will help to "unstuff" a nose, too!

I hope this additional information is helpful to you. Again, I am more than happy to share my experiences with you if you are looking for more specifics on certain oils. Just ask! Or, visit my web site and look around.

And, if Mama Lusco and Melissa want to share their homemade laundry detergent recipes... I would love to give them a try! Have a great day everyone.

Go Sharks!

2010-05-08T00:03:00.000-07:00

GOOOOOAAAL!
I'm not exactly sure how we turned from a basketball-watching family to a hockey-watching family, but we did. The Sharks are in the 2nd Round of the Playoffs, and that deserves a special outfit, don't you think?

I happened to find a Sharks tshirt (Men's size M) at a thrift store a while back and thought, "I am going to have to make something out of this." So, here we are. From a men's tshirt, to a cutie patutie skirt.

From this:

To this:

I added a ruffle on the side for fun. :-)

**If you haven't yet entered my very first giveaway, please do!

Linked up @:
"

Silence is Golden

2010-05-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Anastasia's tonsil surgery is scheduled for next Friday.

She has had a cough since Sunday. Hmm.... I've been thinking all week: Please go away, cough. I don't think we can have the surgery if you stick around. We are all very tired from Ana waking up every night from this tonsil thing and want to just get this surgery over with. Please go away, cough!

I came home right before bed time tonight (I will save you from the details of the public school drama that kept me in my classroom so late, but it had to do with suspensions, possible expulsion, punching, fake weapons that look real, preparing the room for Open House... Good, fun stuff.) to the sounds of teeth-brushing through a stuffy nose. Anastasia said she was feeling sick because of "all the junk" in her throat--she has a lot of drainage and, now, a stuffy nose. After she went to bed, she coughed, and coughed, and coughed... I thought, oh, dear. This is going to be a long night, and the cough that is supposed to be going away sounds worse! I'm amazed she was actually sleeping through the continuous coughing.

Not sure exactly what I should/could do to try and comfort her (not to mention, allow myself some quiet so I can sleep), I grabbed my bottle of RC (an essential oil blend that includes three species of eucalyptus, pine, marjoram, lavender, peppermint, and other theraputic grade essential oils) and sprinkled just two drops next to her pillow, just below her nose.

The coughing stopped. Her nose is clear enough that I am not hearing her breath while sitting in the room across the hall. She hasn't coughed in the two hours since I dripped the R.C... Ah, the quiet time I've been waiting all day for. Wahoo!

Speaking of essential oils... Check out my giveaway for a bottle of lavender or peppermint!

Wishing all of you a quiet night. Take good care.

My very own giveaway: Essential Oil (CLOSED)

2010-05-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

It's about time I hosted my own giveaway. Seems like the 100th post is usually when people jump onto the giveaway bandwagon, so I've been gearing up for this moment.

Here's what I am offering: a 5ml bottle of lavender or peppermint Young Living brand essential oil.

Lavender is my "go to" oil for most things. It is one of my favorite smells--very relaxing, which is why I often put a drop on my pillowcase before bed. My little one will ask for this oil (or Tea Tree--Nature's Neosporin!) whenever she gets a cut or bruise.

Peppermint is another oil that I keep in my purse. You never know when you might have a tummy ache and need a quick drop of peppermint on your tongue! Just smelling the oil has helped me get through many headaches.

Tell your friends to come on over and check it out. All you need to do is leave a comment. If after looking around here for a while you decide you'd like to follow me on the journey... cool, please do. But, it's not required to enter the giveaway contest.

What is required is that you go to my essential oil web site and take a look around. In your comment, tell me what oil (or other product) appeals to you. If you don't mind sharing the "why", I would love to hear that, too. Also, which oil would you like if you win--lavender or peppermint?

If you live outside the USA and know that an essential oil bottle will make it through customs to you, you may enter as well! I will use some random method of choosing names, depending upon the number of entrants. Good luck to you.... Contest closes Sunday at midnight. Come on back next Monday (May 10th), noonish, to see if you've won. Let the games begin!

Make Week, Still Going Strong

2010-05-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

Make Week went very well last week. In fact, it's still going strong. I put a post-it on the TV to remind myself to not indulge. Anastasia saw it, asked what it said, sighed at my response, and stopped asking to watch TV. Every time she has come in the room since then, she has seen that the note is still on the TV and said, "Aw, it's still no TV day?" Post-it notes are wonderful...

Here are some ideas of what you can do for a "Make Week" of your own. If you want to print this out and tape it to your TV, download Simple Organic's pdf. Enjoy!

May Day Baskets--All Finished and Filled!

2010-04-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Last week, I started my students on a May Day basket project. Today we finished our baskets and filled them with paper flowers.

Cute, huh?!

To make the flowers is simple. If you ever helped make a float for high school homecoming, 4th of July parade, or something like that, do what you did then. If you never did any of those things, do this:

Take 4 squares of tissue paper.

The squares can be any size, really, but ours were about 4" square. Stack them neatly and fold them accordian-style.

Tie a pipe cleaner in the middle of the paper accordian.

Gently pull each piece of tissue to the center and then fluff to your liking.

See? Easy!
Linked up at:

Are these the biggest tonsils you've ever seen?

2010-04-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I need help with some parenting stuff. If you have something to share, please do so quickly.

Surgery has been scheduled to have Anastasia's tonsils removed. She has been suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea for a few months (that I have noticed), waking up every night... waking us up every night... No one has been sleeping well. Everyone is cranky. My sweet girl is not her sweet self.

ENT doctor asked if I'd looked at her tonsils. "No, I don't think so." So, I took a look inside...

"OH MY GOD!" (I believe those were my exact words.)

So, yeah, we went ahead and scheduled the surgery. Since then, some people have told me of their success with avoiding tonsil-removal through homeopathy. I contacted a local homeopath and was shocked that she would charge $400+ before any treatment was even determined... I didn't pursue that any further. I just got off the phone with the pediatrician (who I really like, and is always open to my "alternative" suggestions and desires) and he said the tonsils are just big; there is no infection or something else going on that could be treated in a different way.

I am on his side of the fence at this point in the game. My daughter is miserable and so am I! That being said, I am interested in any comments, experiences, suggestions on the subject. Thank you.

Earth Day May Day Baskets

2010-04-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Being the me that I am, I had to figure out something to do with my students to celebrate Earth Day today. My lesson plans for the day quickly evaporated, as one thing led to another (as is often the case). But, I still managed to pull this one off. The project is not finished, as we did not have a long enough chunk of time, but we got to talk about the good Earthy stuff on Earth Day, so I consider it a success in progress.

We started making baskets for May Day.

I've been collecting used strawberry baskets as I use/find them. And, we have a nice cubby filled with scratch paper. So, we reused those two items to begin our May Day basket-making, and had a brief lesson in reuse, as well as doorbell ditching etiquitte. It took me back to 20ish years ago when my sister and I would make May Day baskets, fill them with Spring flowery goodness, ring the bell of an unsuspecting well-loved neighbor, set the basket on the porch, and run... Good stuff.

And, you can do it with your kiddos, too. You just need colored paper that has already lived a good, used life (remember, we're talking reuse here), scissors, and a strawberry basket.

Cut strips of paper that will fit through the spaces on the sides of the basket, and weave them in and out.

Keep doing this until your basket is completely decorated. I do not have any pictures to show you for this. Not sure if we'll have time to tackle finishing these tomorrow. We'll see. They will be finished by next Thursday, for sure, and I will post the finished product pictures. Here's what is sitting in my classroom right now; come back on Thursday for the finished basket pics!

Make/Turn Off TV/Earth Week

2010-04-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's like three weeks in one... as if I didn't have enough to do already! But, really, this week is going to be about not doing things that take up time that could (should) be spent on other adventures. I am going to try my darndest to stay away from the TV this week, which means I will be staying away from the computer, too (they're both in the same room and I think I'll just need to keep the door shut!). I may allow for some blogging time, or I may just recap the whole week when it's over.

I got the idea from Simple Organic's "Make Week". With Earth Day being smack dab in the middle of the week, I think this is a really good week for it. I plan to get outside and enjoy Nature. I'm not sure how much I will "make" this week, but I think the point of that is to get away from technology and create your own entertainment.

If you decide to join me, please do comment about how your week goes!

Spring Cleaning Week: Organizing Your Way

2010-04-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

A friend of Simple Mom has written today's article. She says that there is no right way to organize. I kind of wish there was, because I am still (mostly unsuccessfuly, thus far) trying to find "my" way! The article gives ideas for different methods people use to organize certain areas in their home:

Closets and Wardrobes
Kitchen (I like her idea of having zones.)
Books (I have my books grouped by general subjects: gardening, herbal medicine, medical reference, crafting, etc.)
Paperwork (I will be reading the links contained in this section of the article much more thoroughly when I have more time!)

One part of the article really made me think: "take some time to really think through your family’s needs and come up with a system that works best for you". It was at this point that I realized, all the organizing I've attempted has really only been for myself. I've been organizing with myself in mind and expecting my family to just conform to what I decided was best... How rude of me! Maybe this is why so many of my methods have failed.... Huh. Now, I have more to ponder before I move forward with this.

Spring Cleaning Week: Bedrooms and Bathrooms

2010-04-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Today, Simple Mom addressess bedrooms and bathrooms. She talks about how these areas are often neglected, though bedrooms need to be a sacred respite (which is not even close to possible if you are the type to stash EVERYTHING in your bedroom--not me, but I know a few...). This has been another busy day, so I am just now reading the article. Here is how I have connected it to my own life.

Bathrooms: First, I do not keep my medicine in the bathroom, because moisture and medicine are not a good combination. It is kept on ONE shelf, high in my kitchen. I have a linen closet (which DESPERATELY needs to be decluttered... I'll add that to my "to do" list), so I don't store towels in the bathroom. I don't personally know anyone who store sheet sets in their bathroom, but I will be applying the store-the-sheets-in-one-of-the-pillowcases idea to my linen closet! I like the tying-sets-together-with-a-ribbon idea as well, but it seems like something Martha would do and is not so practical for me. Now that I am thinking about it, I am actually fairly clutter-free in my bathrooms... What's up with that?!! Still, I think I will go through the cupboards and just toss anything that I never use because I forgot it was in there.

The Kiddo's Bedroom: I do have Anastasia help me purge her room from time-to-time (particularly before and after holidays, because people spoil her way too much). We've done it enough that now she will just bring a toy to me every now and then and say, "Mom, I don't want this anymore. Let's give it to another kid who doesn't have toys." Not only is this great for helping to declutter, but it warms my heart and makes me feel like I'm doing my job in helping her realize what it means to be a good human being.

I cannot have her in the room when I am trying to find old clothes to remove from the rotation because she has a very strong attachment to certain clothing items, even if they don't fit her anymore. When I do have a moment to sneak out an item (that sounds bad, but you know what I mean...), I have a big gift bag waiting in another room that I toss it into. Once the bag gets full, I sort through it, pulling out items that I cannot bear to get rid of (these go into a size-labeled plastic storage tub in the garage, hopefully to be used by a future sibing) and keeping the rest in the bag, which I then take to work and hand-down to a colleague who has two girls. This system seems to work well for everyone involved!

We don't keep too many toys in her room, aside from dolls and books. There is a shelf for the books and a big wicker basket for the dolls. My sister made a dress-up chest that is in the room, too. Other than that, toys are stored in the living room.

I really like Simple Mom's idea of having kids be involved in deciding what is useful and beautiful in their room. I am going to have to try that, for sure. It sounds very empowering.

Master Bedroom: The only real "to do" item in this room is tackle my closet again. Though I did this for both the warm and cold seasons last year, I know there are still plenty of clothing items that I never wear, but are somehow difficult for me to just take out and get rid of. So, I will try again. If I know I haven't worn the article of clothing, I will put the item in a bag, out of site. If I haven't looked for anything in a month, the whole bag goes!

I have a recent experience with the involving-husband-in-decorating idea. The year we got married, I painted an abstract couple standing in an embrace. It is hanging above our bed. The colors of the painting no longer match our bedroom decor (...four residences later...) and the painting is smaller than what I would like to see in that space. So, the other day, I mentioned that I was thinking of painting something new to hang in that spot above our bed. This casual remark was quickly met with J asking me "Why?" and "But, where will this painting go?". Huh. In over ten years, I had no idea he had any sort of attachment to that painting.

Spring Cleaning Week: Non-Toxic Cleaning

2010-04-14T01:18:00.000-07:00

I am a sucky housekeeper. I admit it. I do a much better job at keeping my grandmother's house clean, but she pays me to do it.... Hmm... I seem to need some tangible kind of motivation.

How about the smell of a clean house? I don't mean a fake pine forest smell, but a fresh, windows open kind of smell... How about not needing to get all gussied up in rubber gloves and a gas mask to get things clean?.. How about being able to let my eager-to-help four-year-old stick her hand into the cleaning bucket, without fear of her skin breaking out in a rash or her lungs burning from harsh chemicals?

Yeah... that should do it.

Simple Mom's list of the top non-toxic cleaning benefits fit the bill today. But, really, I already knew about that. She follows that list with another that tells you how to make the switch. This one includes a recipe for an all-purpose cleaner that you can customize with your favorite essential oils, and you know how much I love essential oils!

My task for today is to toss the few remaining cleaners I have that I never use. They're not toxic, but they are taking up valuable cabinet space. The one toxic cleaner I do still have is the toilet bowl cleaner. I don't want to name names, but it's bright blue liquid that you squirt around the bowl, then leave the room for 15 minutes before you brush and flush. Does anyone have a non-toxic toilet bowl cleaner idea?... Preferably, one that works. I would love to hear it!

Spring Cleaning Week: Public Spaces

2010-04-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today's task is to look closely at the "public" spaces in your home: living room, kitchen, porch. The idea is to declutter (of course!) and make these spaces usable to all members of the household.

I need to run a few errands today, so I will do that, read the article, see what I can accomplish during the daylight hours, and then be back here with my report! Talk to you later...

11:59pm--Well, my day did not turn out as planned. Little one developed a fever of 103 while we were at our last store, after literally bouncing around the other errand locations... Weird. She seems to be sleeping it off now. Tylenol has worn off, but peppermint on her feet is still going strong. She seems to not be warming up again. Ah, I'll try to stop worrying (unlikely).

So, I did not have a chance to put today's article into practice, at all. I did, however, get some good ideas.

Living Room: I am doing better in this room than I realised. Items are pretty well contained. Toys are grouped in baskets and out of the way. Coasters and a coffee table are accessible for the entertaining of guests. It is definitely a kid-friendly area, but not much is available in terms of function for J or I. I used to have a knitting corner, but that has made way for storing kid puzzles. A tall cabinet houses a stereo that is only useful for AM radio (which J uses to listen to sporting events) and 3 shelves worth of knick knacks that I don't even look at any more. So, my task for this room will be to remove all of these knick knacks, put back only those I love, and utilize the freed shelving space for books I want to read or other things I could be enjoying while sports are being listened to and toys are being played with.

Kitchen: Items are stored as close to their useful areas as the layout of my kitchen allows. I need a better storage container for my cloth napkins, but I am already working on that. I live in a house full of grazers (myself included), so I like the idea of putting snack items on high shelves. For the most part, we have already done this (plus, I try to not even purchase snack items that are unhealthy); and, I have recently placed a bowl on the counter that is full of fruit and easily reached by little hands--if a snack is requested, I say, "Sure, get a piece of fruit."--which seems to be working out well so far. I know I have a lot of gadgets and dishes that are tucked in the back/top of cabinets that I never use/have forgotten I own. So, my task for this room will be to empty all the cupboards (yikes!) and only put back what I use. Seasonal items (cookie cutters, etc.) can be stored in my seasonal decor bins that live in the garage. Simple Mom says, "Keep counters as clear as possible..."... Oops. This will be a big task for me, as I also use my kitchen counter as a sort of landing pad/reminder area/to-do list holder/communication center... I'm not quite sure how to remedy that, but I do know there are dishes and other gadgets that could be given a home in my soon-to-be cleaned out cupboards.

Outdoor Spaces: I am happy to report that my back patio has recently received a little remodel of sorts. J, his dad, and his uncle built an arbor that I have been longing (harrassing him) for. It's so beautiful... My wisteria is already so happy to call it "home". I have plans for grapes and kiwi to also make a home there, and for neighbors and family to gather for BBQs and card games, while the children explore the yard (which is a major work in progress.... for the rest of my life, I think).
The front porch, however, is a much different story. I would like people to feel welcome to gather there, but it doesn't happen. I don't hang out there, so I don't know why I would expect someone else would want to. I have several potted plants, but I like Simple Mom's idea of planting them with natives that will acclimate and (maybe) not need as much attention as a potted plant typically does. I have wicker furniture on the front deck, but it is never used. Perhaps it just needs new cushions that don't look so dirty?! I will make my tasks for this area to move the furniture into a more inviting arrangement, replace old cushions, and figure out some lighting for the dark corner near the garage. If I can convince J to hang my hammock somehow, I know I will be out there more!

Spring Cleaning Week: Decluttering

2010-04-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

With receiving a layoff notice and another major life event that I have not mentioned here, I am in the mood for some change that I have control over. I have been rearranging furniture a bit and contemplating chopping off my hair... J would have an absolute fit if I followed through with the latter, so I have not committed to that quite yet. Still, it may happen when the weather warms up permanently. I am ready to embrace some positive change!

So, I stumbled upon this and thought, the timing is perfect:

Today, the focus is decluttering.... the story of my life! The author of the Simple Mom blog defines decluttering as "getting rid of anything that's not useful or beautiful".
I like that.
I could use some more of that.
I will do that and get back to you tonight (I hope.... please don't hold me to that) to let you know how it went.

10:15pm -- After reading the Simple Mom article for today, I managed to prepare 2 big black garbage bags for the donation pick up truck that is scheduled to drive through our nrighborhood tomorrow.... Yay for me! If I can do that in one afternoon (in only one room... yikes), then I know I can purge a lot more throughout the house. Sadly, I still have a lot more to do in my craft/dump-everything-I-don't-have-an-immediate-plan-for room, which is where today's bags were created.

Of all of Simple Mom's "decluttering roadblocks", the very first one resonated with me most: I have a hard time getting rid of things because I feel like I might need them at some later date and won't have them anymore. The problem with that is, because I hold on to so much stuff, I often can't find the things that I know I have somewhere when the time comes to use it!

The Easter basket is alive!

2010-04-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

...well, it's innards are alive. See?

Anastasia very much enjoyed working alongside me to fill the pink basket for her Grandma and Papa. There is basil in there, which I hope will be happy in the baskets long enough to give some good culinary use.

Want to know how we did it? Head over to my sister's blog to read my guest post tutorial there. Get your basket made for a Spring decoration this year, or bookmark it for an Easter-into-Spring decoration next year.

Inexpensive. Easy. Cute.

Blog Swap with Baby.Got.Craft.

2010-04-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

One of the (few) things my sister and I have in common (that other people notice) is a love of (need for) crafting. So, I was not at all surprised when she started a crafting blog earlier this month. It's pretty awesome, and I am impressed that she can post so many cute, new things with an exuberant three-year-old boy underfoot... She suggested a Blog Swap, and I agreed without hesitation. Below, you will find her crafty contribution to my blog. After you read it, head on over to her blog to find my contribution to this swap, a Living Easter Basket tutorial.

********

Hi all in mamaTAVEland, it’s Tessa from Baby.Got.Craft. Initially, I started this first project solely for the purpose of entering it here (ends tomorrow 4/2)…

As my wheels turned, I decided on this fun Spring project, and I knew it was perfect for my guest post on Tave’s blog. You all may hear about her natural, organic ways…..but did you know she has a secret spot for these?

Don’t get me started on the ingredients! And, I won’t even mention how back in the day, she could pack away a Big Mac meal, with an EXTRA burger on the side.

So, I sifted through my growing stash, and busted into a few supplies I had reserved for upcoming projects (which may, or may not happen). Then, I picked up the wire hanger off of the dining table from my Hub Dub’s dry cleaning – seriously, put those things away!

After bending the hanger into a semi-wreath formation, I sat down with a cup of tea, and some prime-time TV …folded one side of the fabric around the hanger, and started hand-stitching. It sat like this for at least 3 days…

Then, I took your average black felt square, and placed some stickers from my stash, as such…

….took a little bit of yellow spray fabric paint, and removed stickers to get this….

If I had it to do all over again, I would have waited, and added a second coat. That felt really absorbs! A day later, I took some hot pink fabric, and cut a “circle” to go on the back of my decorative wire hanger.

I adjusted the polka-dot ruffles just enough to achieve that unadjusted look; then I took the glue gun to it. I flipped it over, and used my glue gun to add another layer of ruffles, hot pink of course. I added a little decorative black stitch around the edge of that one.

I decided my decorative wire hanger needed some more polka-dots, so I used the glue again to add another layer of ruffles. Then, I took my painted felt, and cut a rough circle around the words, and smacked it on there in the middle-ish. I used yellow and pink adhesive felt to create my little peep friends. I will avoid the details and photos of that process. Peep is a 4-letter word! That chick had to be redrawn (swear) and redrawn (swear) and….you get it! I added some ribbon and fabric strips to use as a hanger, and here you go!

Things I learned:

Felt absorbs, A LOT!
Peeps are fun to eat, lame to draw!
Wire hangers have a much nicer life, post-cleaners.

I LOVE the texture of felt…I have some ideas for future projects SOON. In fact, I have so many, I would change my blog to “Baby.Got.Felt.” if I didn’t think it would draw a bad crowd.

Come by my BLOG for a visit, and watch for an upcoming “Followers Only” contest!

One Small Change: Stop Wasting Food

2010-03-31T23:15:00.000-07:00

Hmm... writing April's One Small Change like that makes it sound so horrible... I suppose it kind of is.

I have a habit of making dishes to feed a family of ten, but in real life I have a family of three. So, we have leftovers. I put them in the fridge. The next night, I make another meal to feed several teenage boys (of which I have none), and leftovers go in the fridge again. This cycle tends to continue until a week has passed since I made dinner for the family of ten and I need to throw those leftovers in the garbage.

Waste. I feel bad about it. Really, I do.

The good news is, I have realised that there is something I can do about it! Here's my plan:

Clean the fridge. Purge the items that are far too old to eat. Bust out my spray bottle of Thieves cleaner and make that puppy shine. Now, I can see what food is in there, and I am less likely to not eat something because I can't see it. Maybe I can even come up with some sort of system of what items (ONLY!) are allowed to go on each shelf..... Or, is that too anal retentive?...
Plan my meals for the week/month. This should help me to stick to my grocery list and not buy things that aren't going to get consumed. This should also help to eliminate my nightly ritual of standing in the kitchen for a good half of an hour and still not being able to decide what to make for dinner.
Decide how produce items will be used before the box arrives. You may or may not know that we have our organic produce delivered to our door every other week. Our CSA posts what the box will contain (and recipes!) on their web site, a week before our box is delivered. I should take advantage of this. The winter is filled with a lot of leafy things that often get composted, rather than eaten. Or, I just don't have a plan for how to use a particular item, it turns, it gets composted. So, my compost pile is great, but it's kind of like I'm just throwing my money on top of the pile...

Yes, I think that's plenty for right now. Do you have any ideas/templates/tools to share that will help me with this change? I would love to hear it!

Quick Fix for Wooden Puzzles

2010-03-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

I have had to perform wooden puzzle repair a few times in recent months. This sometimes becomes necessary with puzzles that are made by layering thin pieces of wood together. Inevitably, the top layer peels a bit away when little fingers are taking the tight pieces apart.

Simple fix:
Dab a bit of your favorite crazy glue in between the wood parts that are peeling away. Clamp the puzzle piece with one of these nifty binder clips.

Let it dry thoroughly, and let the games begin!

Wear a skirt when it's cold.

2010-03-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Anastasia has been requesting to wear skirts lately, but it's much too cold to not have her legs covered and I don't want her to have to deal with pulling tights up and down by herself at school. So... I was thrilled to run across The Sewing Dork's tutorial for how to make yoga pants.

My version--regular old leggings--did not turn out so great the first time (they are a little more like "skinny jeans" than I was going for, and the waist elastic is too big... what happened?!!), but that hasn't stopped Anastasia from wanting to wear these pants all the time. Thankfully, she has given in to wearing a long shirt--or this dress that is still in need of a bit more embellishing--over the mishap of a waistband.

I am not giving up! I will try, try again because this was way too cheap (green men's shirt at thrift store for $0.50) and easy.

Welcome, Spring!

2010-03-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

I felt the need to welcome Spring in an "everlasting" sort of way, that everyone who visits our home can enjoy. Grandma gave me a wreath form (not grapevine, but some other sort of sticks woven together), so I used that as my starting point....

Gathered some tissue paper, Mod Podge, ribbon, and two paint brushes (so Little Munch could make a spring craft of her own--GOBS of Mod Podge were used, so it's still drying and I can't share pictures of her final product yet, but here she is in action)...

Voila! Welcome, Spring!

The butterflies are from my wedding bouquet.... I knew I would need them for something someday!!! This wreath is still missing something... I think I will add some flowers for the butterflies to enjoy.

Somebody pinch me!

2010-03-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Actually, you'd better not.... Wasn't the grade school rumor that you got to slug somebody if they pinched you when you were wearing green?!! I think she might do it...

I made this ruffly, tiered skirt for Anastasia last year, but it's fitting better this year! I think I will submit it to the Ruffles and Stuff Contest... You think?

Bloom Day, March 2010

2010-03-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

What is blooming in my yard today?

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

We were able to participate in Earth Hour last year as a family, and I am looking forward to attempting that again this year. Your family can join us, too, by simply turning off your lights and other electrical devices for one hour, starting at 8:30 pm local time on March 27th.

Wardrobe Refashion: Skirt to Scarf

2010-03-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

So, I have this very nice skirt that I got on a trip to the Pendleton Woolen Mills in Oregon some years ago. I think I wore it one time. But, I never got rid of it, because it was from this special place I visited on this special trip. Is anyone else too sentimental like that?....

Anyhow, I was in need of a scarf to wear with an entirely white outfit on a cold day. March 4th, to be specific--Stand Up for Schools day--where all teachers who received a lay off notice were to wear white, because we will be ghosts next year.... I like the symbolism, though I am not loving the lay off notice. But, that is not why I am writing this post. I had enough white items to make up an outfit, but they were not going to keep me too warm, standing in my school's parking lot on a chilly morning. I decided I needed a scarf and, of course, I didn't make this decision until the night before.

So.... here's what I did, as a pictorial. If you would like words to go along with it, please just ask and I will do my best to oblige.

One Small Change: Cut back my paper towel habit

2010-03-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

I have actually already started to try to implement this by instituting a cloth napkin rule at dinner time. Still, I am tempted to conveniently reach for the paper towel when wiping up the kitchen counter or a child-created spill on the floor.... My saving grace, I suppose, is that I only buy recycled paper towels. But, they are not 100% post-consumer content, so I should stop trying to convince myself that no trees are being killed to afford me some sense of convenience. So, there you go.

My grandma unloaded a bag of cloth napkins (various patterns of 1970's brown; nice) on me, which has helped get the ball rolling. Anastasia is getting into the habit of setting the table (one of her jobs!) with cloth napkins. Jason is resisting using his, which remains nicely folded at the end of every meal....

The next step will be making or finding more cleaning cloths.

Recipe for a Gingerbread Birthday

2010-02-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

How great is it that right before Christmas, Anastasia told me she would like a "Gingerbread Girl" themed birthday?... 50 - 70% off after Christmas, and we have ourselves a lot of birthday gear! Bonus that her birthday is in February, so I didn't have to hold onto all of this for too long.

I like to have an activity for the kids that goes with the theme of the party. Last year, it was a bean bag game with a bean bag to take home in a goodie bag. This year, gingerbread ornaments and cookies to decorate and take home in a gingerbread patterned box, and I recycled the back of the bean bag game to match this year's theme.

The only thing I didn't find on after-Christmas clearance was gingerbread mix. Go figure. So, I slightly modified a recipe I found in my vegetarian cookbook, 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes.

Here is the recipe for Apple Gingerbread. I am showing the ingredients doubled, and baking time increased, as was required to accomodate my large, gingerbread-shaped cake pan (original recipe's ingredients were half of what I have listed, put into an 8 inch square pan, and baked for 40 minutes):

Stir together 3 c. unbleached flour, 4 tsp. ginger, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. allspice.

In a large bowl, beat 2/3 c. olive oil and 2 eggs. Add 1 1/3c. sugar and 6 Tbsp. molasses and beat until combined. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with 1 c. plain yogurt. Stir in 3 c. chopped apples and 1 c. raisins.

Spoon into greased and floured baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Cool in pan and turn onto decorating surface.

I spooned a ganache (melt about 8 ounces of dark chocolate chips with 1 c. heavy cream and cool until desired consistency) over the cake and let it drizzle down the sides. Then, I piped a confectioner's sugar glaze (confectioner's sugar mixed with just a touch of milk to desired consistency) to create the "rainbow dress" that was requested by the birthday girl. This is a horrible picture taken before the eyes were put on! I will look for another from someone else's camera...

A Garden for Anastasia: Rock Garden

2010-02-20T22:49:00.000-08:00

We got quite a start on Anastasia's garden last weekend. The sun has been very welcome, but we do need some more rain to keep things growing!

Check out Greenwood Pottery

2010-02-17T23:14:00.000-08:00

Rachel at Greenwood Pottery was so kind and generous to send me two tea bowls as part of a "Make It and Mail It" giveaway. Every step of her pottery process is hand made--she even makes her own pattern stamps! Please check out her brand new Etsy shop. If you are the first person to make a purchase, you will get free shipping. How cool is that?! Might I recommend the Brie Baker? I can't remember the last time I baked brie, but I might have to get one of these and try it again. Plus, she includes a brown sugar dijon brie recipe.... Yum.

You will see, her photos are better than what I was able to achieve on my kitchen counter. I love the teal color. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it has bands of a beautiful forest green when held in the light.

Doris the Cat's "New" Bed

2010-02-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

With the loss of our Missy, we had a couple of big dog beds laying around that I really didn't want to look at anymore. At the same time, I couldn't bare to throw them into the garbage can (aside from the fact that they are too big to fit in our teeny can!). Doris the Cat still enjoyed lounging on the beds, so I decided to cut the newest one down to her size. Again, my serger saved the day. I LOVE THIS THING! It's so great... so easy... so fast!

Anastasia begged for the job of photographer, so here is her picture tutorial of the process:

Time for some "new" crayons!

2010-02-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

Almost one year ago, I started this blog. One of my first posts showcased my first attempt at recycling crayon nubs and turning them into new crayons. It sure was a fun experiment, and many children reaped the rewards. I wanted to try it again this year for Valentine's day gifts for my students, as well as for Anastasia to share with her classmates. The heart-shaped mold makes them perfect Valentine's Day gifts.

I find that it's easiest, when using the silicone mold, to push the crayons out while the mold is still just a touch warm. Getting the crayons out without breaking is the hardest part for me! At least one crayon in every batch cracks in half while I'm trying to get it to break free from the mold.

Because it's so frustrating to lose one of a small number of crayons after waiting 20 minutes for them to "cook", and then another 20 or so for them to cool..., I want to try a new "recipe" that I discovered in one of my Christmas gifts, Make it Fast, Cook it Slow. This requires a metal mold. So, when I find one at a thrift store or garage sale (keeping true to my commitment to not buy anything new!), I will update this post and let you know how it works out!

Helmet Liner for Cousin Jeff

2010-02-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

My cousin was deployed to Afghanistan the week after Thanksgiving. If Christmas hadn't been coming, I would've made and sent this right away... But, as I understand it, it is still very cold over there! So, I used the free pattern from Citizen Sam and the Cascade 220 wool yarn recommended by my friendly neighborhood yarn store to begin my knitting and mailing adventure for our armed forces.

I had planned to knit more of these, but I SUCK at ribbing and this took much longer to knit than I anticipated. It will surely be summer before I could get another finished. I am waiting to hear from Jeff about the comfort of this yarn and the color. I had planned on just using black, but husband J switched my yarn choice to a more "camo" varigation while I ran Anastasia to the bathroom. I appreciated his interest in the project and went with his choice. So, if I get the "okay" from Jeff, I plan to knit regular old hats for his chummies, as I imagine he is not the only one who is cold there, but more helmet liners are just not going to happen in the near future. Maybe for next winter...

Also hoping to get a photo from him that I can post here, because this one of me sitting on the couch just doesn't quite capture the meaning of all this. I have no idea how long it takes packages to arrive in Afghanistan from California (but, I will say thank goodness for USPS flat rate shipping boxes, which allowed me to pack a lot of beef jerkey in there, too!), so.... stay tuned!